Double Life
by thepaperfalcon
Summary: In the day, they know me as Temari. But I'm more commonly known as The Tempest, master thief in the city of Konoha. There just weren’t many complications… until he came along. TemarixTenTen. Various other YaoiYuri pairings. AU. Swearing and future lemon.
1. Encounter

**Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto... oh the things I'd make them do...But too bad  
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Double Life

Chapter 1: Encounter

I stood on the rooftop of a nearby building. Looking down, I could see the minuscule cops and their minuscule brains running around. Heh, they were absolutely helpless. All they could do was call for back up. Of course, that was useless and a complete waste of time. They must've thought increasing their little army would somehow catch me. All I can do is laugh. In this lame excuse for a city, my job is child's play. There was no one to stand in my way, or so I thought until now.

In the day, I'm Temari, nothing more, nothing less. My life is simple as a twenty-two year old who owns and works at a bar, The Façade. My friends are my frequent customers and my family consists of two brothers: one with a girlfriend, and one with a boyfriend. I try not to get myself involved with society too much.

If anyone realizes who I am, I'm dead.

When the sun buries itself once again after the radiant hues have long faded, my secret profession makes itself known. Hah, I sounded like a poet just then… c'mon that sounded pathetically cheesy and surreal. Like I have time for dreaming about fantastic shit like unicorns. Anyway, they know me by the name Midnight Tempest. 'They' are namely the government forces. I am a master thief, which does make me quite popular around here. My brothers used to lead this double life as well, until they found their 'purpose' to live and that kind of bullshit. The business at my bar is good, but the thrill in being a thief is much more enjoyable.

Life had been great to me. I had all the money I ever wanted. There just weren't many complications… until _he_ came along. Come to think of it… I don't even know if it was a "he".

Going back, I met him earlier tonight, I had been planning to steal the Blood Pearl. A valuable crimson coloured pearl found in some deep dark place eons ago. Who cares? It was valuable, and that's all I need. I had already knocked the guards unconscious and had disengaged the alarm systems. But, just as I went for my prize, someone flew in. I mean literally, he descended from the ceiling like a rebelling angel. He wore a black mask and wore a top hat. On top of that, he had on really loose-fitting clothes, making it impossible to identify his gender.

He didn't say anything, just stared at me with chocolate brown eyes through his mask. My eyes flickered dangerously, knowing full well that we were after the same thing. Without warning, I ran for the treasure. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him go for it as well. However, he was faster than me. And I thought here I thought _I _was inhumanly fast…

So it looked like I'd have to resort to violence. I hardly had to bring this up since the cops are, as I had mentioned before, sad. But this time it was different. I reached for the back of my belt, which my two iron fans were clipped on either side. I had managed to be able to cut through the air twice with my fan, knocking my opponent into the wall, and the pearl ten feet up into the air. I was surprised I had been able to control my fan so well since I was pretty rusty with it

Continuing in a fluid motion, I brought the fans up in front of me and swept both of them behind me just as I made a jump dash, giving me an extra speed boost into the air. I reached for the pearl, and I caught it by the fingertips. I decided to take a little risk and loosen up my fingers, letting the jewel slide into my palm. I had been so sure I had won.

But unfortunately, it wasn't that easy. I was hoping knocking him unconscious would at least leave him cold for a while. But unfortunately, I hadn't noticed he had the reflexes of a cat. He had managed to evade my attack, which, to this day no one had accomplished before. Surprise, surprise in this city of couch potatoes…

I had just started to descend when the mysterious character pulled a whip out of nowhere and lashed it onto my ankle, pulling me down. His whip had a vice grip on my ankle, making it impossible for me to free myself. But refusing to give in, I lashed out two blasts of wind with my fan simultaneously. Fortunately, I caught him off guard and managed to bounce off his head, pearl still in hand.

I quickly combined the two fans in my hands to form one big one. I jumped on, this method of travel being faster than running. Just as I had begun to accelerate, however, I heard whooshing sounds behind me, coming for my head. I ducked down and turned around. Sure enough, there he was, throwing series of needles at me, one after another. I had managed to dodge most of them, doing handstands, jumps, twists, and whatnot. It makes me wonder why I didn't go join the circus.

Soon, I got irritated. So I disconnected one of the fans, still standing on the other. I used the fan I was holding to block all needles flying at me, occasionally going into offense mode with small whirlwinds and cutters.

I had not failed to notice the size and vast emptiness save the stand where the pearl was supposed to sit. Not to mention this bastard's endless supply of needles. I was starting to get irritated. You try steering a fan and blocking an endless amount of needles while trying to keep your balance at the same time. One mistake and he would've got me. I don't even want to imagine what the needles could be coated with.

But one mistake was just what I made. I had to let my guard down for one second so I could hop off my fan, throw it outside so I had a sturdy landing, and jump through the window. One second was literally all I needed to accomplish that. But just as my right hand touched my fan, I felt something thin jab into my right arm. Immediately, my arm had become immobile. Heartbeats later, two more needles jabbed into both my legs, paralyzing them both. I winced at the sudden sting, but felt nothing more beyond it.

Just as I thought he was done, I suddenly felt a prick on my left hand, which was still holding my other fan, was placed _above_ the window. So unless his needles were homing needles, then 'Oh shit' would be the right response.

Looking up, I saw what I had feared: two perfectly polished black boots, balancing delicately at the end of my fan. His gracefulness surpasses that of a professional ballerina, which amazes me, considering the vigor in his tactics.

At that point, I felt like a complete fool. Hell, I think anyone would. I had one hand pressed against my fan, one hand against the wall, and both legs suspended in midair. Craning my neck, I looked up to see his face, which was covered by a black mask save his giant smirk. I felt his eyes piercing through me. Unlike the pitying manner I had suspected, but rather in an almost lustful manner. I shivered at that thought, disgusting myself with my own assumptions. I had expected him to say something as well, rubbing victory in my face or something juvenile like that, but to my relief, no words came.

He bent down so he was eye-level to me. He stared right into my eyes. Suddenly slightly panic-stricken, I looked into his dark brown eyes as well, searching for even the slightest signs of sadistic wants. I have never been caught in a situation like this, or even close to this. Perhaps I was paranoid, but as much as I'd hate to admit it, I felt vulnerable. For the first time in my life, I was as vulnerable as a fucking turkey on Thanksgiving Day. That was a horrible analogy, but point is, I'm not paranoid. Fortunately, however, the only thing I saw in his eyes was, oddly enough, admiration.

What he did next however, caught me completely off guard.

Reaching out, he cupped my cheek in his leather-gloved hands. I barely had enough time to react when he suddenly pushed his face forward, connecting both our lips in a chaste kiss. Using this opportunity, I felt him sneak something down the valley of my breasts through my somewhat revealing top. My eyes went wide. Fortunately for him, I still couldn't move or I'll have his face punched inside out.

As he got up, I glared him, hoping if I glared long enough he'll eventually burn into nothingness. But he only smirked that cocky smirk of his again. He then went over to my pockets and retrieved the Blood Pearl, his stupid smirk still plastered on his face.

That was the last thing I saw before he released me of my paralysis somehow, landing face-first on my hand, legs hanging inside the museum.

In a flash, I picked myself up and threw a punch at the figure standing on my fan…the same figure that had already disappeared from sight. I quickly caught myself, because if I didn't, I'd have at least one broken bone and a face full of dirt.

So here I sit right now, in my apartment. Damn, somehow… life just got harder tenfold in one night. I pulled out the item that the pervert left in between my boobs. It was just a simple plastic card about the size of a business card. This one however, was a note.

"Looks like I've won our first battle. Don't worry though, beautiful, we'll meet again. Sooner than either of us may expect." It was written in perfect cursive, in silver ink. I flipped the black card over. On the back, was, written in the same handwriting, the words The Phantom.

The name certainly fitted the mysterious figure. But what did he mean by "sooner than either of us may expect"? I definitely want to see him again and beat his ass through the ground. But my mind kept going back to kiss. It was quick and chaste. The kiss was just that, a kiss. There was nothing more to it, but I can't stop thinking about it. His lips were softer than any other guy I've kissed before. And trust me, I've kissed a _lot_ of guys. Furthermore I did not see even a hint of lust in his eyes before or after he kissed me. Which surprises me because, well, I can't deny the fact that I'm hot.

No, I don't stand in front of the mirror all day and worship myself, but still. I'm considered one of the most attractive around here. Oh, I don't know, top five? I'm actually quite tall, considering I'm half Japanese. Thank god for my European genetics.

But whatever, the last thing I need is someone like him ruining my night's sleep. Tomorrow I have a busy day ahead of me. Sigh, some big party thing tomorrow my brother's boyfriend planned. I don't know what my brother got himself into with that hyper boyfriend of his, but seriously… dragging me in with him? Worst is that my brother would be extremely scary if I just blew it off. Not the "ooga-booga" kind of scary either, but more like the skin your skin and gut your guts kind of scary. Trust me, _I _was in the _hospital_ for a month last time.

As much as I'd hate to admit it, I went to sleep thinking about the dark figure and his gentle lips.

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**Author's Note: So yeah...review or constructive critism welcomed Oh yeah, if you're gonna flame me for same-sex pairings, just to let you know i won't be intimidated. 'Cause the gays are gonna take over the world D **


	2. Party

Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto

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**Chapter two: Party **

Today was that party thing my brother and his boyfriend decided to throw. I'm not too excited, really. The end result is usually a house full of either hammered or horny people. Sometimes both. I usually take this opportunity to sleep in the car. Unless I get lucky, which stopped happening years ago.

After a none-so-eventful morning, I made my way to my brother's mansion to help him prepare for the party. This was something I had to do every time they decide to throw a party. Always. I set everything up myself; he has sex with his boyfriend upstairs. Knowing them, they usually don't come downstairs until everyone starts drinking. So why do I bother with this stuff? If you had a brother even half as scary as mine, you would too.

I pressed the doorbell since my brother doesn't trust me enough to give me a key. Very typical of him, his current boyfriend didn't even get a key until their third anniversary. Though I've been his sister for, lets see… forever, I'm just not special enough.

A few muffled whining cries later, the door slowly opened.

"Temari," came my brother's usual bored greeting. I used to think he was antisocial… until he started bringing home hoards of boys. That was before I moved out. Before I could reply however, a new face greeted me. I raised a brow as he stared at me with huge puppy eyes.

"Uwaah! You must be Gaara-chan's sister!" He said, sounding like a little kid meeting "Santa" for the first time. I only managed a slight nod before he grabbed my arm and led me towards the living room. I turned my head to see Gaara trailing behind us boredly after locking the door.

"Come, Gaara-chan's nee-san! Let us discuss the greatness of youth together!" He cried rather loudly, twirling himself around the living room in only a pair of green boxers. This is quite a sight. I haven't seen something as amusing as this since Kankuro tried to teach Gaara tap-dancing. I shot my brother a disbelieving look, but he only sighed.

"Lee, stop that," he said rather coldly. As soon as he said it, Gaara was rewarded with huge puppy eyes and pouting lips. Wow, that boy has one hell of a guilt thing going on, not to mention some killer reflexes. Sighing again, he made his way over to the raven-haired boy. I watched as he whispered something in his ear then giving him a quick kiss. I almost laughed as Lee blushed ten shades of red. He ran his hand through Lee's messy black hair before giving him a slight smile.

Let me tell you, Gaara smiling is like a sunrise, except better. It's extremely hard to see, but very beautiful, yet it disappears quickly. I've only seen him smile a few times in my life. And laughing is just… well the day he bursts out laughing is the day everyone, including me, decides skinheads are the way to go. I'd rather die than shave my head. Trust me, a lot of time and money went to my hair.

"Come." Quietly I followed him to his study. He became a fashion designer after ending his life of crime. Apparently, it was his secret passion since he was a kid. And don't get me wrong, 'cause he was quite talented. But no one would expect someone like him would design women's fashion. After I found out, both Kankuro and I became ten times as picky with our clothes. I guess we never really noticed when he glared at us twice as hard when our outfit was to his distaste.

Gaara looked at me with the same deep green eyes I had. Nervously, I picked up a pen and started twirling it around my fingers. Yes, nervously. Sure he's three years younger than me, but even my older brother, Kankouro, fears him. He's got the temper of a thousand raging bulls. Seriously. He knew I would have something to say concerning his green-boxered puppy. He kept silent, indicating that I should initiate the conversation. Or as much as a conversation gets considering it's Gaara here.

I kept silent for a while, trying my hardest to pick out the right words.

"So…uh…what happened to that blonde idiot?" One look from him and I knew that trying my hardest wasn't enough. But then again, there really isn't a better way to ask a question like that. Fortunately, the look he gave me faded back to its neutral state quickly. He's taking this better than I thought.

"He cheated on me with some other antisocial bastard," he replied smoothly. I merely nodded. He cheated on him with "some other antisocial bastard"? I guess he knows he's not exactly talkative. Then again, who can be more of an emo-kid than my brother?

Of course, I knew about Gaara's ex-boyfriend. He was a fellow fashion designer as well, but he designed men's undergarments. He was some loudmouth blonde kid with a seemingly endless supply of energy. Sure he was annoying, with that being an understatement, he was quite cute as well. I heard he's on the city's most d gay men list. I can see why, with those kinky whisker-like scars. Who wouldn't want a pet like that?

"Do—," I started. Apparently he read my mind and quickly continued.

"Naruto had sex with one of the models and continued seeing him afterwards behind my back." Ouch. That's why you don't date a gay man who designs men's lingerie, little brother!

I knew I was swimming in dangerous waters, but my curiosity got the better of me. My brother is actually one of the sweetest guys I know around here. Plus, he's quite a looker. Who could be better than this sexy, sweet redhead? I know I'm saying a lot of stuff about my brother. And no, I don't have a complex. It's just that, c'mon, everyone's hot in our family.

"So who's this oh-so-great model?" I asked quickly.

"Uchiha Sasuke." He replied simply.

My heart stopped for a second. Wow, who knew one of the top ten hottest models was gay. He's every teen's dream come true, with his unruly raven hair and dark onyx eyes. Unfortunately, you'll land within seconds of falling into those eyes. Meaning, yeah he's definitely an anti-social bastard. But he's hot. And god, with that little blonde kitten…

I let myself imagine for a few seconds.

Damn… Two words: That's hot.

"So where'd you get this new puppy then?" I asked, remembering the raven-haired boy outside the door.

"Found him in a cardboard box in an alley on a rainy day," he said in monotone.

Now that…was unexpected.

"No, seriously." I couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic, but seeing it's Gaara, he probably wasn't

"Actually, that's about right."

"Wow Gaara, how the hell do you get yourself into these things…" Gaara smirked at my rhetorical question.

"He left home after his third foster parent. Lee's been on the street for a couple of days before I took him in," He paused, a smile appearing at the corner of his lips, "Since the day I found him, he's been like this. With all his youth talk and stuff. His smile had always been there as well as his unbreakable spirit."

I giggled, seeing the look on my brother's face. He seemed even happier than he'd been with Naruto. Who knew a tough cookie like him could be so easily moved by a single puppy? But then again, this funny little thing called love can change anyone. Hah. Like hell I'd know. I've had a billion boyfriends, but I've never been as lovesick as my brother. Gee, who would've thought?

"Last question. How long have you been with him now?" I asked curiously, gay relationships are just _so_ interesting. At this, Gaara's smile grew bigger. This was something I haven't seen since Naruto, and even then it wasn't this big. This is one of those picture perfect Kodak moments. Damn, if I had a camera, think about all the pocket change I can make!

"Does it matter? I bet it's been forever, I wouldn't know. Well let's not keep Lee waiting." Ah, the true words of a lovesick gay man in love.

Once Gaara opened the door, he was tackled down to the floor by a half naked blur. Good thing I decided to remain seated because Gaara and his blur literally flew across the study's nice cleaned carpeted floors.

"Ah Gaara-chan! I missed you so much! Come! We must not let our youth go to waste! To the bedroom!" And just like that the half naked blur and my brother ran out the door. That was my cue to get everything ready. Fuck, tell me why I came early again? I still have three hours before the partygoers start arriving.

I had just managed to clear off one of the tables in the dining room when the doorbell rang. It was still early so it couldn't have been the guests. If it was a door-to-door salesman, I swear I will pound his or her face in.

I opened the door to see nothing but the top of a soft pink head. Looking down, I saw a pair of jade green eyes, which seemed to be intimidated by our height differences. I wouldn't blame her. After all I was pretty damn tall. I looked past the top of her head to see a forest green truck, which, from what I could see through blue tinted windows, appeared to be filled with equipment.

"Are you the DJ?" I asked casually. I looked her up and down. No matter how you look at it, she looks more like a Girl Guide selling cookies. How cute.

"Yeah, um… if you don't mind, could you uh…" she started, her eyes trailing off to the truck behind her.

"What? You're expecting me to help you unload your equipment?" Yeah, I sound kind of mean. But c'mon, I'm the one who paid her! Well, Gaara is, but still! Crazy kids these days.

"S-sorry, I kind of…broke the trolley." She stuttered, even more scared than she already was. I sighed, feeling sorry for the poor girl. God, I guess I even have to do the DJ work too. Well, even criminals like me have a heart.

I wordlessly followed her to the back of her truck. She then opened the back of the truck. She stepped back, indicating that I should help myself. Dammit, how bothersome is this?

"Is this how you treat all your customers?" I asked raising an eyebrow.

"Um, no, actually… most of the time, I have my trolley," she said, her face flushing from embarrassment, "Actually, I just need you to help me move this speaker in. The rest I can handle myself." I nodded staring at the speaker she was pointing to. Of course, it was the biggest one.

I looked at her, then into the truck. Some of the speakers were almost as tall and wide as her. But not wanting to insult her, I just nodded. Besides, it might be fun to watch her struggle. Wow, I sound like such a sadist.

We slowly moved the speaker into the dining room, clearing some chairs and tables as well. Then we went back to get the other one. After that, I just sat back on the leather loveseat in the foyer and watched her run back and forth with sound systems, cables, CD cases, and stuff like that. After about ten minutes, she stood back and looked over her entire set.

"Nice work," I complimented, poking my head into the dining room. We usually use the dining room for parties since it's nice and square. It's also the biggest room in the house, _and_ we had a mini-bar built in it. It's not exactly a dining room after all the renovations we made on it, but more like a mini club. The room is covered with a nice navy blue carpet, except for the middle of the room. We have those kinds of light up flooring for our dance floor. At the end of the dance floor is where Sakura set up her station. I have several speakers set up in the corners of the room, as well as a bar of colourful lights on the ceiling.

Before long the bell on the back door started ringing, signaling the arrival of our cook. She was the only one other than Gaara who had the key to his house, assuming Gaara got his key back from Naruto. Hinata was originally Gaara's cook, but he had set her free for the summer, but she was kind enough to help us with our parties. A party just isn't a party without Hinata-chan's bite-sized sandwiches.

Hyuuga Hinata doesn't work full time. She still has her studies to maintain in order to be top chef. Which, from what she's told us, has always been her dream since she was a kid. I guess it's to follow her father's footsteps. Not exactly an easy thing to do when your father is a world famous gourmet chef. He father, Hyuuga Hiashi is not only a great chef who's appeared in every single food magazine at least twenty times, but also works part-time as a food critic. Hinata told us that no matter how hard she tries, he just loves her little sister more. Poor Hinata just never seems to make her daddy proud. Yeah, I must say, this girl never stays within her own limits. Tough love in the Hyuuga family eh?

"Ah, T-Temari-san! You're here e-early today," she greeted shyly. Despite her hardworking nature, she's as shy as hell. Never once has she stepped out of the kitchen at a party. So I respect her by keeping away unwanted kitchen loiterers most of the time. Yeah I know, I have a heart of gold.

"Well, someone's gotta take care of everything here," I said smiling at the blue-haired girl, "but thanks for helping us again, Hinata."

"U-um, no p-p-problem…" she said, staring at her feet. Then suddenly a pink head popped out from behind the doorframe of the dining room.

"Hinata! Wow, I didn't expect to see you here!" she said running over to give the shy female a hug. Now _that_ was unexpected. Honestly, I never would've thought Hinata has the time for friends. Not to mention the courage to make friends.

"Wait, hold on…" The DJ said before pulling away rather quickly, "I thought I told you to stay home!" I gave them a look of surprise and amusement, which of course, went unnoticed. Hinata started to say something, but was cut off by the pink-haired girl.

"Didn't I tell you this before? Gaara-san gave you the entire summer off so you can _relax_. But you've been doing nothing but running around working! Again! If people wanted food they can always order take-out or a pizza or something. Even Hiashi-san would hate to see you like this. Okay? Now, I'm not just making assumptions. Neji-san told me you've been working part-time seven days a week in various houses and restaurants. For god's sakes Hinata!" Well, at least I'm not the only one who worries about the poor girl.

Before I can even say anything, the DJ picked the cook up and flung her over her shoulder. Holy shit, this girl was strong. She made her way into the front foyer, walking as if she wasn't carrying a girl almost equal to her size. Yeah I could've said something, but I thought this might be fun to watch. I looked past the thrashing Hinata to see a blonde head bobbing up the steps outside. Oh, this can't be good.

"What the hell? What happened? Is Hinata being kidnapped?" came a singsong voice from behind the DJ. I couldn't see Hinata's face but I'm sure it's very red. I think anyone would be blushing if they were found in a position like this.

"S-Sakura-san put me down…!" She said quietly but as firmly as possible/

Silence spread out amongst us. It was very awkward…to me anyway. Sakura turned around and smiled at me apologetically. I just smirked back, seeing the embarrassed blush spread across her face.

"So…did I come at the wrong time?" Ino said, smirking at Sakura. I leaned on the doorframe, beside this "Sakura" character. Heh, I couldn't have thought of a better name for her. From my spot, I could see the DJ and the blonde's face expressions. That was quite a sight.

Sakura stared at her feet, then muttered, "I'm sorry…"

Sighing, I hooked my index and middle finger to the edge of the DJ's hoodie, slowly pulling her backwards towards the party room. Quickly she turned around and snapped at me for treating her like a puppy. Man, this girl's pretty damn two-faced. But hell, like I should be one to talk.

"Hinata, you can go back to the kitchen. Ino, come help me set-up so you can tell me what the fuck you're doing here. And maybe, just maybe, you can stay for the party."

"Just maybe? Damn Temari, don't I feel loved around here," the blonde said with a roll of her eyes.

She helped me moved in some tables from the storage room and into the party room. Nothing fancy, just something to put the food on.

"So, care to tell me what you're doing here?" I said, unfolding the table legs.

"Actually, wanted to talk to you about someone," Ino said, standing over my bent figure.

"Well this can't be good…so c'mon, who is it? And do you mind helping me flip this thing over?"

"Have you heard of a recent criminal mastermind who calls himself the Phantom?" Ino asked in a deadly serious voice. Ino-san here is a photographer. She takes pictures of anything she can get her hands on, hoping for some good money. She makes some decent bucks for someone still in training. She comes to my bar pretty often, so we're quite close. Speaking of which, I bet she might have some Sasuke and Naruto action in one of the many cameras she has. Damn, I'm willing to pay some pretty good cash for one of those.

"So have you seen a shady character around? 'Cause I heard he disappeared around your bar. If I can get a picture of him, I bet I can make some really good money." She asked, bringing my head out of the gutters.

"I hope you're not suspecting me." I asked skeptically, she giggled. Hey, can't blame me for being paranoid.

"No, I'm pretty sure it's a man. I'd imagine woman thieves wear less baggy clothes," I almost laughed at that, yeah, you just gotta love the breeze when you fly around in fishnets,

"Well _if_ the Phantom was a woman, I think that'd be pretty fucking hot."

"I wonder, which is gayer: my brother or you," I said raising an eyebrow at my own joke. I think I forgot to mention, Ino here is a lesbian. And damn is she proud of it! I think we first started talking after her unsuccessful attempt to get into my pants. But I must admit that _was_ pretty funny.

"Hey! You know you'd want to bang her."

"Nope. Sorry, I don't swing that way."

"That's what they all say. But _deep_ down… you want me," she said with a triumphant grin on her face.

"Oh c'mon, you think everyone wants you."

"And they do!"

"Hm…then…how about a bet?" I challenged with a sly look. I just got a crazy idea in my head. Luckily, Ino was never one back down on a challenge.

"You're on!" As expected, she accepted without a moment's hesitation.

"I'll give you fifty bucks… if you can get into the DJ's pants tonight," I said casually, wearing the most provoking smirk I can manage.

Ino's jaw dropped. Tch, I know she wanted it. Trust me, she'll thank me later.

"You've gotta be fucking kidding me! I ca—"

"I thought everyone wanted you, this should be cake. She's just another girl right? I know what a player you are." I laughed, poking her shoulder teasingly.

"B-but—"

"Ino-chan, are you stuttering?"

"N-n-no!

"You gonna play chicken then? Don't forget you've already accepted this challenge!" We bother turned just in time to see Sakura trip over one of the cables she had laid out. Oh man, I'm surprised Ino didn't take her at the doorstep earlier.

"Fine! That's it right?" She tried to sound confident, but her voice slightly wavered.

"That's about it. Except… you have to tell me how she was in bed. And don't forget, you're an awful liar." God I felt like such a mean bitch, but damn! This is going to be fun. Oh yeah, did I mention Ino's blushing? Which is something I have never, ever seen her do. Perhaps this girl is going to end her wild, skirt chasing days. Wow, I think I should congratulate myself.

Fuck, Temari! You're a saint!

In the next ten minutes, Ino and I set up the tables through mindless gossip. After setting up, I looked around to see that Ino's pink target has mysteriously disappeared. Looking around, I saw a pink and blue blur through the dirty window in the door to the kitchen. It was impossible to see what they were up to through that window. So I'm going to get my head out of the gutter, and not make bad assumptions.

Both Ino and I snuck up to the kitchen door. I pressed my ear gently to the door, with Ino behind me waiting for answers.

"Hinata, push…hard," I heard Sakura say exasperatedly.

"…Fault…trying to…" came Hinata's muffled reply. God, they going to need to speak up if they don't want me go ahead and make assumptions.

"Look…force…you're…good…" Holy shit, what the _hell_ are they up to?

"…Love me…take…" That's it, time to break it up! I don't want anyone doing that before the party. I desperately hope they didn't contaminate the food either.

I banged open the swinging door, just in time to see Hinata clinging onto Sakura in an embrace. Fortunately, still fully clothed.

"T-Temari-s-s-san!" Came Hinata's alarmed voice.

"Alright, what happened in here? I thought it would be obvious that sexual intercourse or anything similar to it would not be appropriate in the kitchen."

"W-what the _hell_ are you talking about?" Sakura cried angrily, despite her blushing face.

"Don't play innocent with me, I heard your kinky exchanges!" The two of them stared at me, wide-eyed. Hinata's blush was fiercer than I've ever seen before. A couple of moments passed before that statement sank into their heads.

"Wait…Oh!" Sakura said, her face brightening up in realization. Her features quickly changed from surprised to angry.

"Oh god, what the fuck? I was just telling Hinata here to take a break! And you thought…why the fuck are you eavesdropping anyway?" She demanded.

Suddenly, Ino popped up from behind me, one arm around my shoulder, "Ooh, did someone say 'fuck'?" I rolled my eyes. How typical of Ino to only join in when the topic moves on to sex. I could tell she winked at Sakura by the way her face suddenly went aflame again. Damn, maybe my challenge was too easy.

"Alright whatever, I'm just going to help take these dishes out for Hinata," the DJ said, slipping past us carrying two large plates of sandwiches.

I turned around after hearing a faint 'slap' sound, just in time to see Sakura almost tripping again. I raised an eyebrow at my friend, who was still hanging loosely onto my tall frame.

"What? She has a nice ass."

I rolled my eyes, then looking at my watch. Guests should be here any minute, to my dismay. Let the party begin…

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**A/N: **Kinda discouraged by the number of reviews. But of course, I keep fighting ) This feels more like a filler introduction chapter, i apologize for that. I'm trying to find a way to rake in more reviews. So yeah, this story prolly wont be too long, but it's good practice eh? So R&R 


	3. Chance

A/N: Hey, thanks for reviews! I really didn't expect this story to be all that popular because of the pairing. I had intended the Phantom's identity to be a surprise until the end, but it made my story really hard to find. Heh, not many people take risks for pairings. I apologize for chapter two actually... it was pretty damn pointless. But on with the show cause the Phantom is back!

Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto.

**Chapter 3: Chance**

It was a quarter past nine. Everyone had already gotten quite hammered. A lot of Gaara's empty or spare rooms have already been taken. I was, as usual, behind the bar. Where it's nice, safe, and tranquil. Honestly, I'd rather stay here and make drinks rather than getting drunk and waking up next to a stranger in the morning. But hey, that's just me.

To my surprise, my blonde friend had accompanied me the whole night. Usually she'd be frolicking from table to table at parties. Every time I turn my head she'd be either flirting with some girl or drinking with the guys. Butch? Yeah, I know. But you'd never be able to tell just looking at her.

"What's up with you tonight? What happened to the party animal Ino I know?" I said, handing her another drink. She looked at me with almost a sad expression.

"What? Have you run out of girls to fuck already?"

"Very funny, Temari." She said as she swiveled around in her chair to face the party. I know what she's up to. She's been staring at the DJ all night. Ah, how adorable…but still extremely annoying. I thought I'd have to hold her back from disturbing Sakura all night, but she's just been sitting here quietly. Normally I wouldn't mind, but it's getting pretty damn annoying.

"Oh man, Ino, just look at her," I whispered behind her shoulder teasingly, "Sweat glistening off her body…Slim frame and slender fingers moving to the rhythm. God, she's the type that makes you come for her without any physical contact." I didn't mean it, but just wanted to see her reaction. As you know, the word 'come' is a very amusing pun. The most amusing part being the person's reaction when they catch the wrong end of the pun. Plus, puns allow you to get out tight situations too if you use them right.

Ino turned around and glared at me. Jackpot!

"S-Stop that! Quit thinking like an old man!" I feigned a hurt expression at her retort, trying my best to suppress my laughter. Like she was one to talk… Looks like I won this round.

"Hey, you know, she makes you wanna go up to her and just admire her awesome skills. I'm just observing her in a party environment, which is exactly what I'm picturing in my head. Care to share what _you're_ picturing in your head?" I said, smirking at her.

"Fuck you, Temari," she said, obviously annoyed.

"Oh, so now you want me _and_ the DJ. You're pretty damn greedy, plus you know I don't swing that way. Can't say about the cherry blossom though," I retorted, grinning like a fox. Ino rolled her eyes at me before turning around and running off. No one beats Temari at the game of words.

I looked up from unconsciously wiping a glass to see Sakura looking confusedly at me. I guess she saw Ino running off. I put down the glass and made my way over to her. I decided to be a good friend to shy little Ino. Doesn't hurt to add a little oil to the fire.

"Hey," I said casually, leaning on the wall behind the DJ.

She said nothing at first, just playing with the buttons and knobs some more before taking off her headphones.

"Hi," she said bluntly, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, Hey. Listen, I put together some songs on a CD. I have a song on it I'd like to play. But I left the CD in my room. So could you help me get it?"

"Why can't you get it? I can't just leave, you know," she said raising an eyebrow at me. Damn, I hadn't thought of that. But of course, no one can outsmart Temari!

"Yeah, I think you can. Everyone else is hammered, unconscious, or busy. I can't go because I'm the only one who can manage the bar. Just put on some background music for now." After a bit more pestering, she finally left, a bit reluctantly, but at least she left. Ino is still not back, so if my hunch is right, then all should go well. God, Temari, you're such a great friend.

"Kankuro, I might need to hire some strippers and keep everyone busy for a couple of hours." I told him as I passed him on my way back to the bar.

"Huh? What happened? Where's the DJ? I thought we decided on DJ this time… not that I'm complaining about the strippers." He asked, with an amusing look of confusion on his face.

"Let's just say she probably won't be back for a long time," I replied slyly, winking at him before going back to the bar.

A couple minutes later at the bar, I just couldn't shake the urge to check on them. So I decided to listen to myself and go upstairs. I started ascending the stairs when suddenly someone practically flew down the stairs, knocking me over in process. I hit the cold tiled floor hard on my back, knocking the wind out of me. I lied still for a couple moments, trying to process my surroundings. Groaning, I tried to sit up, but I realized someone was on top of me. Son of a bitch, when I get her, I swear I'll… Arg, her boobs are crushing mine! Thank god she's a lightweight.

Just then they looked up. I stared into her dazed brown eyes. Wait, brown eyes? That sounds familiar…

She suddenly snapped back to reality. Her head whipped around, eyes wandering back up the stairs. I followed her gaze. She sighed in relief, relaxing back on top of me. It was as if she forgot I was still here. I rolled my eyes drumming my fingers on the tiled floor. She sat up on my stomach, still dazed apparently cause she still didn't get off.

"Uhm… Yeah, I think you're going to have to get off."

Instantly, she jumped off me. Wow, this girl has pretty quick reflexes. She apologized with a little bow and a quick 'sorry'.

"Hey you!" came a familiar voice.

"Shit," I heard her mutter before running off. I just stood there, a bit dazed and bewildered.

"Temari! Get her, dammit!" Ino yelled from the top of the stairs. I quickly turned around, but she had already left through the front door. I thought of running after her, but decided on a shrug as I made my way up the stairs.

"What happened, Ino?" I asked, looking at her, "and why are you naked?" She wasn't completely naked, but naked down to her undergarments.

I quickly led her to my room, throwing her a pair of jeans that was lying around. Someone probably left it behind earlier. If there's bugs in there, I don't really care either.

"That little bitch was trying to take my wallet, while I was looking for a towel. I came out just in time to catch her taking my wallet out of my jeans, which _she_ was wearing. But she just ran out, wearing my clothes. You saw how fast she was, there's no way I could've caught her." It took me a moment to let all that register in my head.

"Wait, why are you naked in the first place?"

"I was going to take a cold shower! For gods sakes! It's all your fault too!" She said, poking my shoulder accusingly.

"Well you know, normal people usually take their clothes off right before getting into the shower."

"I was going to get in! I didn't know you didn't have a goddamn towel in there!"

I hugged her, feeling she need's a bit of love after all that.

Just then, someone poked their head through the door. A pink head, that is.

"Oh, did I come in at the wrong time? I need to talk to Temari-san," Sakura said quietly. I quickly let go of Ino and signaled her to come in.

"Uhm yeah, I can't find your CD. I checked this room already, but I didn't know you guys were…uh…using it. It was empty when I was in here," she explained, her eyes going back and forth between Ino and I. Damn, Ino must've been in the closet looking for a towel…

"Ah, great. The thief must've taken my CD too," I said with a slight roll of my eyes, "Well, I'm going to look for a shirt for Ino." I hope Ino makes her move while I'm in the other rooms, because this is getting frustrating.

"I, uh, was robbed," I heard Ino say nervously before I went off.

I decided to go to Gaara's room and borrow one of his shirts. Just so I don't disturb busy couples and crazy groupies. When I got there, the door was locked. Surprise surprise! This, of course, means that I shouldn't go in there. Damn, I don't know why I decided to take _everything_ with me when I left this place.

Thinking back to those two upstairs, I questioned myself why I'm looking for a shirt. God, I bet she won't even be wearing pants when I get back up there. But, she'll need it sooner or later. Suddenly, I remembered Sakura. When she came in earlier, she was only wearing a tank top. Which means that she left her sweatshirt behind somewhere! Wow, I'm so smart. She won't mind if I borrow it.

I made my way back to my room, sweatshirt in hand. But, not wanting to ruin anything fun, I sat by the door and listened in.

"So…what's your relationship with Hinata?" Smooth Ino, real smooth.

"She's uh, a close friend of mine… and what the hell are you doing?"

"Sorry, it's just that… you're warm. It does get quite cold up here when you're half naked."

"Well, Temari-san should be back soon, so just hang on a bit. Speaking of Temari-san, how long have you been with her?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know like…going out? I'm sorry, I just assumed…you…well, you make quite a pair." What the fuck? Oh god, I choked on my own spit. Wow, can she be any denser?

"Are you serious? You think we're going out? What the _hell_ gave you that idea?"

"Well, I don't know. I'm sorry if I offended you. It's just the way you two interact, that's all." Offended? Tch, she should be honoured!

After that, a very awkward silence spread around the entire atmosphere.

"So…have you ever k----"

"Can I kiss you?"

"Eh, that was a bit unexpected, but…" She trailed off, followed by the soft sound of shuffling blankets.

A couple minutes later, someone gasped. Silence. The bed squeaked, indicating sudden movements. I poked my head in for a second to see what had just happened. Ino was on the bed with her elbows supporting her body. Sakura stood at the foot of the bed, looking nervous and tense. I quickly turned back to the wall in fear of being caught.

"Look, I'm flattered you picked me over everyone else tonight. I'd hate to disappoint you, but… I'm afraid you're not going to get any. If you're going to treat me like a little whore, I'm leaving. If you have a problem with that, that's your issue. I don't suggest you mess with me either." Ino was silent. Then I heard some footsteps coming towards me.

"I need my sweatshirt back," she said simply, leaning on the doorframe. I knew I was caught… well that was new. I swear I'll die by my own curiosity one day.

I stood up to dust off my pants, when suddenly Ino flew out the door.

"Wait! Sakura!" the pink-haired girl, who was halfway down the stairs, looked up at her.

The blonde caught up to her, unable to look her in the eye.

"I'm sorry… see, I'm not really used to this. If you were anyone else, then I would've just watched you leave. But I know you're different!"

The DJ shook her head, "Even though we just met, I know about you Yamanaka-san. Hell, who doesn't know about you? You're one of the greatest heartbreakers around. I don't care what you say, I'm not sleeping with you."

"Then don't! I don't care we can take it slow."

"You've gotta be fucking kidding me…" she said continued descending the stairs. This girl's pretty damn cold. Poor Ino…

I joined her at the bottom of the stairs just sitting quietly.

"Just got off the wrong foot, don't worry about it."

"Don't even try, Temari."

"Go explain to her!"

"No."

"What if she's the one? Hey, _someone_ has gotta tame you."

"Go away."

"Quit sulking like a little kid! I thought you were more mature than that." She didn't reply. She just sat there huddling against the steps.

"Hey, what do you expect? After all those broken hearts, do you really think you can be a good lover? It's not just for looks."

"Don't give me that! You wouldn't know love if it slapped you in the face!" The blonde said looking at me angrily. We both sat silent for a while. With two identities, love really doesn't come easy.

I went back to the bar, leaving Ino by herself to think things through. That's how it was for the hour or so. Just the beer, the drunkards, and me.

I checked my watch it read 11:30pm. Gaara looked over at me, the same neutral expression on his face. I quickly handed my job over to Kankuro. I made my way over to Sakura before I left the estate for the night. There are some things she needs to know.

"You," I said, standing in front of her station.

"What do you want now?" she looked agitated.

" You don't have to be so harsh. I'm not sure if you noticed, but she's been extremely out of character tonight. The only person she had talked to before this whole fiasco was me. She didn't dance at all tonight. Completely ignored the girls hitting on her, only three bottles. Just swiveled in her chair staring at you. Love at first sight if you ask me. But hey, what do I know? I'm not blind enough to miss the looks you returned either. Congrats on being the first one to tame and shoot the biggest heartbreaker around." She didn't say anything. I'm not stupid, I know she wants it as much as Ino does. I don't really care right now though cause I'm running late.

Once I entered my apartment, the phone rang. I picked it up, having a good idea who it may be.

"Shika," I said nonchalantly.

"Hey," came his usual lazy and bored voice. Nara Shikamaru, a childhood friend of mine. He's the only one besides family who knows of my other identity. Because of his high intelligence, he acts as my informant, which is why I have to split the money with him. This lazy genius provides me with information about new targets and such. He's also the one who helps me sell the stolen items. Despite his laziness, he's got some incredible skills. He's helped my polish my fighting skills quite a bit. That's just his undercover job. Even I don't know where he's hiding when he calls with information. In the day, he's a high-ranking cop. He jumped a lot of grades so he got a head start in the police academy. Lucky for me, I have authority on my side.

"Alright, listen. Today's job's the art gallery. Swipe the painting in there entitled _Pride and Promise_. Should be somewhere 'round the sides. It's worth a couple million I'd say. But either way, try not to fail this time. The Phantom is still at large, so you might have some company tonight."

"Did you get anything on this 'Phantom'?"

"Eh, unfortunately it was too troublesome for me to check. I doubt there'd be anything though. Last night was his first appearance after all. Besides, you probably know him better than anyone right now."

"Alright, anything else?"

"Yeah, I got your fans sharpened up. I also added a couple of extras for you. You owe me one. So how bout the night off?"

"What, did you spend so much time sleeping you didn't get enough sleep?"

"Hahah…funny, but no. Girlfriend's birthday today," he sighed.

"Well, fine. You have fun with that, come by tomorrow for the painting."

"Right. Bye."

Konoha's art gallery has some pretty tough defense out front. So tonight, I entered from the top. I swiftly jumped to the base of the glass dome. To my surprise, my company got here earlier than me this time. For some reason, he was sitting there, eating a sandwich, as if he was waiting for me. Wait, a sandwich? It looked like the ones Hinata makes. _Only_ Hinata could make. He must've been at the party!

I quickly ran a list of names through my head. Any of them could be it! Wait! Brown eyes! Who has brown eyes… let's see, there's Shikamaru for starters… Could that be the reason why he wasn't here yesterday night and tonight?

Hold on. Let's not get ahead of myself here. Shika wasn't even at the party, so it couldn't be him. Then there's Kiba, he's got brown eyes. Then again, so does Lee. But…those could be contacts! Which then, makes everyone a suspect. Wow, I'm getting fired up just thinking about it.

"Alright, who are you?" I called out. He just looked back at me with while finishing off his sandwich.

"All you need to know is that I am the Phantom," he said, smiling at me. His voice! It was robotic…that means he used a voice changer! Damn, why does he have to be so damn clever? It appeared as though he hid it in the grey facemask he wore tonight.

He jumped down in front of me. He was slightly taller than me.

"What you should also know," he leaned over, whispering in my ear, "is that I've admired you for the longest time. So don't disappoint me again this time." With a smirk, he entered the little hole he made, which I hadn't noticed earlier. Admiration huh? I bet he made up that bullshit just so he could get into my pants.

Without wasting another second, I jumped into the hole after him. He knew what I was after, making my target his as well.

I followed him to the painting, which was, by the way, nothing special. But when I got there, he was gone. Fortunately the painting was still there.

"I see you're quite interested in this piece." I jumped forward, hearing the robotic voice behind me.

I stared at him for the longest time. Neither of us moved, we just stood there and waited for the other to strike first.

I barely managed to dodge the two small shurikens he threw at me. I whipped out my fan, ready to deflect anything that comes flying,

"You're a dead man." I spat angrily. Boy, if looks could kill…

He merely smirked, throwing two more baby shurikens at me. What the fuck does he think he's doing? Those probably won't hurt even if I _was_ hit. But it doesn't matter, safety first. I barely dodged it. I jumped at him, but tripped. I didn't dodge it, he pinned me right on. The baby shurikens pierced through the side of my shorts, lodging itself into the wall behind me.

"Get yourself out. Or you're going to lose again."

I growled, trying to take out the metal star with my bare hands. Looks like I'll just have to tear my pants...or…

I did a quick double team that looked as if I was wavering on a screen with lots of static. The shuriken loosened up and fell easily. This was a trick I learned from Shika when he was teaching me evasive techniques.

The Phantom watched, clearly impressed, and quickly threw three larger shurikens at me. Easily evaded with a simple technique.

I threw down a slightly larger fan Shika equipped for me. It was sharper than a razor, but also the perfect flying device. Without a thought I jumped on, slicing the air as I flew around.

I quickly swiped the painting, meanwhile blowing away seven small shurikens thrown at me with a single swipe of my fan. I flew around the Phantom's head before flying higher. I broke one of the glass dome panels with a powerful blast of air. Just as I exited the gallery, I heard a small dagger flying past my head, narrowly missing my ear. I turned around. Sure enough, the Phantom had a little flying device of his own: an impressive-looking mechanical board.

I flew a bit faster, the night breeze giving me a slight boost of speed. I made a sharp turn before diving a bit lower and back up again behind my opponent. Hoping I was the faster one this time, I created two small tornadoes with my fan. Unfortunately it was not the case, as he dodged it flawlessly. He threw up different sharp objects, which was easily deflected with my fan. However, one peculiar weapon got through. The three-bladed boomerang managed to whirl around me, slashing both my arms.

This time, I took a steep dive down to a large open roof. I was demanding a fair fight, and he knew it.

I jumped off my fan while I was still a ways up, grabbing my fan in process. I did this so I had time to unleash an attack just as she arrived.

I landed gracefully and painlessly, whipping out my other fan while clipping my big one back onto my belt. I held out both my arms, spinning myself around. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him land. He threw a number of objects at me but was deflected effortlessly.

I stopped my spinning abruptly, unleashing three small whirlwinds. They began to move around, slowly at first with increasing speed. The Phantom jumped back and forth, trying his best to dodge them. The three of them began closing in on him, forming one giant tornado. I ignored the wicked smile he wore as he was engulfed into the tornado. I took this chance to throw in all three of my fans, hoping at least one of them will cut through.

I heard a couple of pained screams coming from the Phantom as I just stood there and watched.

I couple of seconds later, a whole army of sharp objects began flying towards me. Since I don't have any fans on me, I had to evade as much as possible.

Unfortunately, his timing was perfect, and his accuracy was lethal. I dodged a lot of them but a couple of daggers, knives, and razors got me. The velocity of the daggers were greater than anything else, which included me, giving me almost no time to react. But the worst was the boomerangs. They flew back and forth at least half a dozen times.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, the tornado started dying down, as well as the number of weapons.

The Phantom and I were cut and bleeding from head to toe. My clothes were falling apart, nearly exposing my chest. His hat was gone, revealing his messy brown ponytail. His clothes were tattered and ripped, one of his sleeves ripped off.

"Son of a bitch!" I cried angrily. I jumped over him, grabbing my fans back. He turned around quickly and pulled out dual blades. Where the _fuck_ does he keeps this stuff?

He aimed for my head, but blocked his blows thanks to my fan and feline reflexes. I swiped his stomach with my other fan, narrowly missing.

We exchanged blows one after another, neither of us hitting the other. My stamina was starting to waver. I could tell he wasn't too far behind.

Our weapons clashed one more time. This time, our faces were inches away, glaring into each other's eyes. I brought my free hand up, fisted and ready to attack again. However, I had a better idea. He did the same, appearing ready to strike. One more shot… and I'll get that bastard…

I went for his face as he went for my stomach. I doubled over in pan, but I had managed to watch the Phantom's mask fly off his face.

Large brown eyes were the last things I saw before slipping into darkness.


	4. Beginning

A/N: Hey first of all, a big thank you to reviewers. Yeah, it doesn't seem like alot compared to other stories, but it really got me going again! So thank yous. For those of you who haven't noticed, I changed the rating for this story. It's rated M now because i realized i swore too much...Hey she's a thief, leave her alone. So yeah, and these chapters are getting longer everytime! Go me!

Warning: Slight lemon. Not really. Just warning you. Uh, more like...heated interactions between two women?

Disclaimer: Will never own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter 4: Beginning. 

So dark… Where the hell am I? I can't see anything… I can't feel my body or anything else for that matter.

Voices. I don't know what they're saying but they sound excited.

I cracked open my eyes, just to close it again due to the unfamiliar light. I'm not sure but I think someone's hugging me. I don't feel anything at all… My whole body is numb.

"…Doctor! She woke up!" That was a man's voice. It sounded familiar. It sounds like Kankurou, or maybe its Shikamaru…Wait. Did he say doctor? What the…am I in a hospital? What am I doing here?

I suddenly remembered what happened last night. The Phantom and I battled on the rooftops before I passed out. The last thing I remember were a pair of eyes. Very familiar eyes… but I… can't seem to remember where I've seen them. Damn it! This is hurting my head. The Phantom…I hate that bastard. He seemed to mock me indirectly every time.

I slowly opened my eyes one more time. White ceilings and a pair of deep green eyes just like mine.

"Kankurou?" I squeaked. My voice sounded weird and unfamiliar to me. I hadn't said anything in a long time. I was close to forgetting what my voice even sounded like.

"Finally! You've been out for three days! The doctor should be here any minute to check on you," he said smiling at me.

"Are you alone?"

"Yeah, Gaara just left a couple hours ago. Both of us had stayed up with you, you know! Totally neglecting our lovers, so if they decide to leave it'll be your fault."

"Sorry." I knew he was just teasing me but it could happen.

"Don't worry, Lee and Tayuya doesn't mind. They're worried about you too, or else you wouldn't be the number one topic of our conversations."

"Heh thanks. By the way, who brought me here?"

"Shikamaru. He told everyone you were mugged. Attacked and nearly raped. That would make sense with the cuts and the ripped clothes…so don't worry about it. The attackers 'fled' he said.

"Gaara and I know what you were up to, Temari. Shika didn't say anything but it was obvious. The Phantom was all over the papers. As far as I know, you're not someone who would let this guy go without a fight. Guess this guy's no novice huh? In case you're wondering, Shika only found your body, but there was a lot of blood at the scene. Your puddle wasn't the only one. This means he passed out after you did, but he was dragged away, he said. It can't be the cops so it looks like you and Shika aren't the only team in town."

I didn't say anything, thinking over what Kankurou had just said. That must be how he knows my targets…that makes sense…

"Where's Shikamaru?" I needed answers, and he seemed to be the only one who knew them.

"He's been working on a new case lately, so he's busy."

"Tell him to come here once he's free. I need to talk to him."

"Alright."

The doctor came in with a nurse behind her. Holy shit, she has the biggest breasts I've ever seen! …Not that I'm looking of course. She was tall, with long blonde hair and a weird sticker-looking thing on her forehead.

"Ah, finally up I see. I'm just going to do a quick check-up on you to start off."

After about ten minutes of that, the doctor stopped and smiled at me.

"…But it looks like you're in stable condition. You're lucky none of these cuts are too deep. It seems you got away with just a broken arm, some cuts, and a couple of bruises. If you need anything, just call either me or Shizune," She explained, gesturing towards the nurse behind her. That was the only part I bothered to pay attention to since I don't really care about the rest.

I merely nodded as the doctor left. The nurse approached me, whispering, "If you need anything, just call me. If I were you, I'd only call Tsunade-san if there's a big emergency." I just shrugged.

"Well then," Kankurou suddenly said, getting up from his chair, "I can go now knowing my baby sister's in good hands."

"Thanks big brother, I didn't know you cared," I said sarcastically with a roll of my eyes. "More than you'll ever know," he laughed as he grabbed his jacket and walked out the door.

I napped for an hour or two, still feeling the fatigue of that rooftop battle. Dodging all those weapons must've made me land on my arm and break it in the process. Whatever it was, I sure hadn't noticed it. I was still numb, but my senses were coming back to me.

When I woke up it was still evening. After getting some food and a coffee in the cafeteria, I made my way out to the garden. Moving around was easy since it was only my arm that had been broken. However, it was a bit uncomfortable with the cast and various bandages here and there. I bumped into Shizune, who was on her break. We walked to the garden together, coffees in hand.

"So…what's your relationship with Tsunade-san? You seem to know her quite well," I inquired, attempting to make conversation.

"Eh? She's j-just my mentor and my boss," she said staring at the ground. She suddenly became shy at the mention of her boss.

"I see."

"Let's sit down over there," she said pointing to a bench facing the garden. A lot of other patients were here as well, some were with family and friends, and others were alone.

"Tsunade-san is one of the most skilled and well-known doctor in the country. I had the privilege of becoming her apprentice after my uncle had died. Tsunade-san and him were lovers, and she just couldn't turn down his offer. I could tell she didn't like the idea of an apprentice, but I tried my hardest to make her happy. I could've been a doctor, but I didn't want to be working with her, just alongside her. But the one thing I know is that, if I hadn't been there for her since my uncle's death, I wouldn't know where either of us would be. Shortly after she took me in, she left the city. No matter how many times she protested, I left with her. We lived on a farm near a small village for a couple of years. The village was where she mostly taught me, as there was only one doctor there, we helped out as well."

I merely nodded as I listened. Her story wasn't something I can relate to, or even understand. But it sounded beautiful to me.

"I can't deny anymore that I love her. But with our age differences, I doubt it will ever be requited."

"Age difference? She can't be more than ten years older than you…"

"Uh, about twenty years actually. She's fifty-two." I swear to god, I almost fell off my seat. A sudden pain jolted through my arm at the sudden movements. No matter how you look at it, she doesn't look that old. She had no grey hairs from what I could see, and her skin was absolutely flawless.

"Don't hurt yourself," she laughed, gently soothing out my arm, "I was pretty shocked too. A bit disappointed but oh well."

"But you've given up so much for her. Why not just tell her how you feel?"

"No, you don't understand. It's because I've given up so much that I can't risk losing it all. I can't risk losing her as a friend. I'm fine with what I have now."

"No you're not. Humans are never satisfied with what they have. Especially if there is something you obviously want right in front of you. She's not married now is she?"

"No, she hasn't had a lover since my uncle."

"Then do it. Tell her."

"I'm not sure you understand my position here…"

"Sorry, I just can't stand watching someone not being able to love just because of some stupid obstacles. But hey, what do I know? I'm still young." That's a fine load of bullshit I made up there… I don't even know if _I'll_ ever have the chance to jump those obstacles. She sighed, stretching out her legs.

"Let's go back in, it's getting dark. Oh, and I only told you all that because I feel I can trust you. Please don't tell anyone else." I nodded, just noticing the darkening sky.

The hospital was still busy when I came back in. Doctors and nurses ran from one room to another, calling one another or just conversing in long words that no one understands. It got quieter as I went further into the hospital back to my room. By this time, Shizune had already left so I was very much alone. I took my time getting back, just looking through the windows of the other rooms. Most of the patients were in far worse shape than me. There were people from all ages, from newborn infants in their incubators to old seniors waiting to drop dead any second. Aside from the happy new parents in this place, it was all pretty sad. It is a hospital after all…

I passed by a particular room where I saw a small brunette sitting on her bed. She seemed somehow familiar…I stood by the window, examining her closely. Oh! She's the one…that was at the party! She's the brunette who knocked me over and stole Ino's clothes. She looked beaten up pretty badly too with bandages wrapped around her arms from what I can see, kind of like mines where I had been cut. She had a lot of cuts on her face as well. No wonder I didn't recognize her.

The brunette was sitting up, talking to a man beside her, a tall silver-haired man with an eye patch. He looked to be in his late twenties. Weird, visiting hours should be over by now. I waited for a while for a nurse to come by to shoo him away. I don't know why but I just felt like I should.

Sure enough, a couple minutes later, a small chubby nurse came by here and went inside after telling me to go back to my room. Of course, I didn't. Once I turned my attention back to the room, I realized the man was gone. The brunette was sitting up, holding a novel. The window was open.

Three words: Something's not right. I bet you all thought it was: What the fuck? Anyway, I suppose I should get Shika to do a bit of a background check. First I need to know the brunettes name. But perhaps he will know who the man was. His appearance is pretty distinctive.

I felt someone shaking me lightly, muttering something. I slowly opened my eyes, the sun temporarily blinding me. The shaking stopped as my vision cleared. Lazy brown eyes stared at me, obviously irritated.

"Finally. I have to make this quick, I have to get back to the station."

"Oh, is that how you greet a friend that's been injured and out for three days, Shikamaru," I mumbled sarcastically while sitting up.

"We can't talk here, come with me," the man muttered, helping me out of the bed. I just followed behind, still half asleep.

We made our way to the garden, which was almost empty except for some early risers and people doing Tai Chi. Which means there wasn't a lot of people. I yawned and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes as he pulled me towards the side of the garden next to a neat patch of petunias.

"So, I bet you have some questions for me," he said lazily, sitting down on a bench. I got right to the point as my need for answers came back to me, "Yeah. First, no one else saw us besides you right?"  
"Us? Nope, I only saw you. I saw you on the radar as soon as I got home. There was another person with you, but neither of you were moving, so I went to check on you. By the time I got there, the other body was gone besides the pool of blood they left behind. It was the Phantom wasn't it?"

"Who else? Kankurou said the body was dragged away right? Do you have any idea who's helping the Phantom?"

"It could be anyone really. We'll need something to start with before we start counting suspects."

"Hm… were there anything left behind on the rooftop?"

"Actually yeah. I thought you might ask, so I brought it along to show you." Shikamaru pulled out a light blue opaque baggie. I looked around to make sure no one was watching us before taking it from him. I stared at the item inside the bag. I had a feeling they would leave this behind. I looked at Shika, who stared right back at me.

"I found it in a shadowed corner. It must've blended in," he explained.

It was the black mask that I had managed to get off before we both passed out. It was bloodied a bit with little rips in it. No doubt it was his.

Shika sighed, "At least we have a blood sample here."

"Shika," I whispered, giving him back the baggie, "do you think, by any chance, that he might be around here?"

"Probably. There's only one hospital in Konoha. Even if his partner was a doctor, he can't have all the equipment they need."

"I don't know, but I have a feeling I saw him yesterday."

"Really? Well you figure that out, I have to get going." He got up from his chair and was just about to leave before I pulled him back down, feeling a stinging pain shoot through my arm.

"Wait, I have one more question," I said, "do you know anyone with silver hair and an eye-patch? About six feet tall?"

"Eeh? You know him? He's the one my boss has been tracking for years. Sometimes he sends us out to investigate him. From what I know, his name is Hatake Kakashi. He's the leader of a small but treacherous yakuza (1) group called the Akatsuki. Most the members' identities are unknown. Umino-san's only lead is Kakashi."

"Yakuza eh? Interesting…"

The morning passed quietly, with the brunette plaguing my thoughts. I looked for her unconsciously. I even came up with the idea of her being some master of disguise, making me suspect everyone I see. God, I swear, this Phantom thing is gonna wound up with me in the loony bin. The brunette really bothered me right now. Why on earth would she have a yakuza visiting her in the middle of the night?

I sat in my room quietly reading a book Shika had left me before he left so I wouldn't be bored. Shizune came in and told me I had another visitor. I just nodded, going back to my book. Great, I wonder who it could be. I had expected my little brother, whom I have yet to see. But unfortunately, it wasn't.

"Hey, you! Look who's finally up!" said a perky voice at the end of my bed. Oh great. Abso-fucking-lutely wonderful. I raised an eyebrow at the blonde photographer who was smiling widely at me.

I saw the basket she had brought with her. It couldn't have been a fruit basket as it just wasn't her style. "What's in there?" I inquired pointing at the basket.

"Ah, lunch! Some tako-san wieners (2) I made I put in some onigiri (3) to go along with it as well," she said, her grin still plastered on her face. I looked at her skeptically. Knowing her, it couldn't be something as simple as wieners.

"Alright spill! What else is in there?"

She giggled, "Ah, you caught me. I have a couple Playboy mags for you as well as a little cake from Hinata."

I sighed, Playboy magazines…how Ino-like.

"Gee, how thoughtful Ino. How did you know I loved staring at naked women while sitting here in a hospital?"

"Because I know all women are secretly gay for me. So I'm just starting you off."

"Right." "Hey they have articles and stuff to you know (4). Unfortunately, it's not all about naked women. I brought you a couple of my favourites. I want them back though okay?"

"I don't want them."

"Temariii! You're so cold! I went through all this trouble for you! I don't care, you're reading them!" She huffed, pouring the basket of magazines onto me. A small sponge cake rolled out onto my stomach as well.

"Oi!" I said, picking up one of them that was by my hand and slapping Ino with it.

"That hurt! And don't wreck them! They're like treasure to me you know!"

"Yeah, yeah. By the way, did you make up with Sakura?" Her smile faded instantly. I had a gut feeling about this but hey, I can't help being curious.

"I haven't seen her since the party."

"You didn't talk to her?"

"Nope."

"Do you want to see her again?"

"Yeah. I miss her a lot. I know we barely know each other. But I would love the chance to. I shouldn't have did what I did that day…"

"Well…how many girls have you slept with since?"

"Uh, one. I thought she'd make me feel less lonely, that's all. It didn't work though. The feel of her just wasn't the same."

"Well you know, I can get you Sakura's number…"

"She gave it to me already at the party. I asked for it saying its consideration for hiring."

"Smart. Why didn't you call her then?"

"I don't want to. I want to find her and talk to her face to face. I don't want to fuck up any more relationships. Even if I never get together with her or she leaves me one day, I doubt I'll go back to those days. I know I'm still young, and it's a good time to play around and all. But feelings are something that should never be played with. I believe I'll find love one day, but that doesn't mean I should ruin that chance for others."

I giggled at her little realization, "That was a tad cheesy. But I bet if you can prove your fidelity to Sakura, she'll be yours in no time."

"Fidelity, huh? That's a big responsibility…"

"Don't think it's worth the risk?"

"That's not true. I'll think about it. It's a big step for me you know." She smiled again as she added, "You sound like you know it all, Temari. But I know you're not exactly good at relationships nowadays."

"Well, I've been busy."

"I'm sure you have. Anyway, I'll handle this on my own. Just worry bout yourself. I gotta go now, got some shoots scheduled. So bye! Take care of yourself, hun." She waved, then skipped out the door and disappeared into the hallways.

Ino's always been the sexy, naughty, bitchy type of girl. But I guess anyone can change with love. I've never understood that, though. I doubt I ever will.

With nothing to do and all alone since Shizune had been called into Tsunade's office, I bought a cup of coffee and went to the lounge. It was empty except for, to my surprise, that brunette I saw yesterday. Her dark brown hair had been put up in two buns unlike the first two times I'd seen her where her hair had been uncombed and wild. She seemed to be carving something out of wood. I took a seat across from her in a comfy armchair. I had brought something along to Shika's novel to read as well. Or it was _suppose_ to be Shika's novel. I groaned, slapping my forehead.

"Wow, you're the first female I've met who likes Playboys," the brunette said nonchalantly from the other side of the coffee table. It was the first time I heard her say anything besides the barely audible apology last time. Her voice was absolutely angelic to my ears. It was a strange thought, since I've never been one to look at girls that way. But she was, if this makes any sense at all, adorably sexy. I looked up at her, but she didn't pay any more attention to me.

"Uh, it's not mine…I just took it by accident," I tried to explain. She just shrugged and continued scratching her piece of wood with a pocketknife. I couldn't tell what she was carving, but it seemed to be a handle of some sort. It had elegant patterns and designs etched into it.

I didn't want this conversation to die that easily. I still had to get her name. I have a nagging feeling that she has connections with the Phantom. But looking at her now, I'm starting to have my doubts. "Hey what are you making?" I asked curiously, taking a sip of my coffee. "It's a dagger," she told me, not looking up. A dagger huh? Interesting…if she can carve something like that out of wood, I bet she can do it with metal too.

"Ah, you like weapons?"

"In a way. I just like making them for fun, nothing lethal though." She still wasn't looking at me. I can't tell if she's scared of me or want me to stop bothering her. Assuming it's the latter, I left her alone and just sat quietly, drinking my coffee. I get bored pretty damn easily so I picked up the magazine. Yeah, I'm pretty desperate for something to do at the moment. I started flipping through the articles when I felt the brunette's eyes on me. When she didn't stopped staring at me, I looked up at her. She quickly looked back down. Raising an eyebrow I asked, "Do you…want to read this too?" I waved the magazine I was holding with my good arm.

"Uh, no thank you," she said. She seemed to be blushing slightly, I couldn't tell. I decided to play around with her just because I'm pretty damn bored.  
"Are you sure? There's some pretty hot women in here," I said, showing her a random page."

"No thanks, I don't exactly like staring at naked women in magazines."

"So, you're saying…you'd prefer to see them live?" She blushed a couple shades of red before shaking her head. Her gaze was still fixed onto her block of wood.

"Perhaps," I continued, smiling teasingly at her, "these women are not to your taste. Maybe you'd like someone more like…me?" I laughed as she sat there, finally looking up and gaping at me, obviously not used to my openness. She was blushing as well. I felt like tackling her down and squeezing her until she squeaks. "I'm just kidding, you probably don't swing that way. By the way, my name's Temari." Her body relaxed noticeably back into the loveseat she was currently occupying. Her blush quickly faded as she turned back to her carving.

"Oh, I know. You were the one I landed on back at the party. I heard the blonde calling you before I ran out." She said, once again not looking at me. That was pissing me off. I wanted to see her eyes. I saw them briefly when she looked at me, but that wasn't enough. I wanted to start into them and drown myself in them. No! What am I thinking…? I mean…I want to see how much they looked like the Phantom's. Right.

"Ah, may I ask why you did that?"

She said nothing as she wiggled uncomfortably, mumbling what seemed to be an apology. I guess it's a sensitive topic. I didn't ask about it any further. I was afraid she'd never talk to me again, only because I was afraid I'd never get answers. She has ties with the Phantom I just know it. I have to get closer to her if I'm to ever figure out who he is. Or so I convinced myself.

"Well I have to go. I'll see you around, Temari," she said, getting up from her chair, only to fall right down again. I hadn't noticed before that she had a cast on her leg and a pair of crutches leaning on the edge of the end table that was placed quite a ways from the loveseat. Someone must've left her here by herself, putting her crutches aside.

"Here, let me help you," I said gently, moving over to her side of the coffee table. I moved her crutches so it was within reach. I only had one arm, so I had to move them one at a time. "There you go," I said, pulling her up to lean on one of the crutches. That was the first time I realized how small she was. I was at _least_ a good head taller than her. I held her by her waist as I reached for the other crutch, which had fallen onto the carpeted floors. I bent down to get it, accidentally pulling the girl off balance. I felt her body slipping so I quickly turned around to catch her.

"Eh, this is a bit challenging," I muttered, still holding her. Damn, she was soft. It's so different from guys… If I squeezed her any harder, it was as if she would break. Or explode or something. She was like a teddy bear, something I can hold forever.

"U-um, as comfortable as this is, can you put me back on the couch first?" the suddenly brunette asked quietly. I looked down at her, totally lost in her softness. I muttered a quick apology before helping her onto the loveseat again. This time I held the crutch in my hand. She stood up again using my good arm and her other crutch as support. I handed her back her block of wood and her pocketknife, which she stuffed into the pocket of her hospital gown.

"Thank you," she said with a sheepish smile before making her way out of the lounge. I couldn't help but smile at her retreating back. Man, she was cute, even with the cuts on her fair complexion. I bet Ino would've eaten her up at first glance, well the old Ino anyway. Seeing as there was no point in sitting here alone reading a Playboy, I made my way back to my room as well.

I had just slipped back into my bed when reality decided to crash down on me. I didn't even get her name dammit! Either way, I had completely forgotten that she was somehow connected to the Phantom, I was sure of it. I'm not stupid. I realized I had become completely infatuated back there when helping her up. I don't know what it is about her that makes me want to get to know her. I used to get this feeling a lot back when I was still interested in one-night stands. But you know, playing a game for too long gets boring. I haven't had this feeling since I stopped playing. But it's different this time. You can't describe it. It's just there. Really, I don't believe in love at first sight, so I doubt it's that. It could be…I'm just confusing myself. Besides, she's as much as a female as I am, and I've never even thought about the idea of being a lesbian. Maybe it's just her?

There I go again with my train of thought…dammit this girl is throwing me off. I do have a task at hand while I'm at the hospital. Unfortunately time is running out, as I will be released in a couple of days. I have to at least get her name…and maybe her number or email. To, uh, get to know her better and get info of course. Eh, who the hell am I kidding…it's defiantly a little crush and nothing more. It'll go away soon. It better, cause I have no time to think about anyone else besides the Phantom. He's an obstacle that has to be removed. This town just isn't big enough for the two of us. On the other hand, I could maybe run away with her and live on a remote island… Okay, that's it! I'm stopping this train of thought and going to sleep! Damn Ino and her Playboys.

_I felt someone brush their hand over my shoulder and down my arm, waking me from my sleep. I groaned, turning over to see who it was. It was the chestnut-haired girl with her hair in buns like I had seen her earlier today. I started to ask what she was doing here, but she silenced me with a gentle brush of her lips on mine. I shivered at the unusual sensation running through me. Without another word, she pulled me out of my bed. Her crutches were gone, as was her cast. My own cast was gone as well. She led and I followed obediently, half asleep and unaware. She ushered me into the broom closet, following closely. I watched her with half open eyes as she locked the door behind her. She made her way towards me, pushing me into the back wall, knocking a few things over in the process due to the lack of space. She pinned me into the wall with her small body, her hand skimming over my sides. I leaned down to kiss her. She returned it roughly but gently at the same time. The kiss heated up quickly, from a friendly brush to lust-filled devouring. I gasped as I felt her hand move from my side to my stomach, slowly inching upwards. I had definitely lost my senses. Next thing I knew, she'd pinning both my arms above my head with one hand, her other hand still probing. This aggressive brunette and my pulsing libido were driving me off the edge. She kissed her way down my neck, stopping at a particularly sensitive spot. I couldn't suppress my moan as she nipped it gently. She looked up at me briefly, a wicked glint in her eyes. She bit down on the sensitive spot. Hard. My eyes flew open, coming back to reality. Before I could push her off, I felt something stab me in the stomach. I started to scream, but a leather-gloved hand clasped my mouth tightly, drowning out all sounds. Looking up, I saw no longer the small brunette, but the dark Phantom. He stared down at me with brown eyes like the brunette. I was suffocating as he kept his hold on my mouth. I looked down to see what he had stabbed me with. It was the wooden dagger the girl had been carving today…I recognized the hilt. Everything around me started spinning. The only thing I saw after was blood. Lots of blood… my own blood. _

My eyes flung wide-open, cold sweat running down my forehead. Oh god, my cast is still here…Good it's just a dream, thank god…No doubt, the girl had something to do with the Phantom. Perhaps my dream was trying to tell me something. I don't know and I dare not think about it. I feel like I'm being watched. She's giving me all these confusing feelings, I can't and I don't even want to try figuring them out. And thanks to her, I've been ranting a lot in my head too, as I'm sure you can tell…

The next few days passed quickly. I'm finally leaving the hospital tomorrow. The brunette seemed to be avoiding me, or maybe that's just my imagination. Hell, _I_ should be the one avoiding _her_. I can't leave the hospital without at least her name. She was, right now, the closest I can get to unmask the Phantom for real.

I managed to corner her while she was exiting the cafeteria with a sandwich in hand. I walked up behind her. Making sure she doesn't see me, I tapped her on the shoulder. She was so startled she nearly tripped. I caught her just in time with my good arm. She almost immediately relaxed into me. Damn, this girl seemed like she was being hunted down or something.

"You know we have to stop meeting like this," I laughed into her ear. She immediately tensed up and tried to get on her feet. "Sorry," I apologized, "I didn't mean to startle you."

"Oh, um, I'm fine. Don't worry about it," she said smiling sheepishly.

"Hey, wanna eat lunch together? Since we seem to be going the same way," I asked. "Seem" being the keyword there. She looked unsure, but shrugged stiffly. I noticed how tense she was. It was as if someone was pointing a gun to her head or something.

"So, what can I call you by?" I finally asked, smiling at her. She looked at me at first. She seemed to be either contemplating on the _how _to answer the question, or _if_ she should answer the question. Finally, she gave in and smiled back at me. That. Completely. Blew. Me. Away. Even Gaara's sunset-like smile pales in comparison. It was just so beautiful I can't even describe it. If I even _try_ to describe it, it…just…yeah. I'm at a loss for words, for the first time in my life. I must be drunk.

"They call me Tenten. I don't know my real name."

(1) The Mafia. You know those evil people that you should never ever upset.

(2)Those little octopus shaped wieners. That's what I like to call 'em. Google it if you still don't know what they are.

(3) Riceballs!

(4) I don't know what's in a Playboy. Sorry if I get things wrong. Just to get this out of the way…I. Do. Not. Read. Playboys.


	5. Love?

**A/N: Alright so! I'm not too happy with this chapter right now so I just may replace it...one day. A big thank you for those who reviewed and those keeping up with my story. I took the time to go to some of your profile pages and left a message, just to show my appreciation. **

**Disclaimer: Still don't own Naruto.  
**

* * *

Chapter 5: Love?

I didn't understand at all. How can she not know her own name? Hm… I wonder who "they" are. Maybe she's talking about Kakashi. This girl is really confusing me. She gives me the impression that she knows something I don't… something that I should know. Perhaps she's hiding something, or maybe hiding someone. She must be trying to confuse me in order to protect the Phantom… wait, does that even make sense? Maybe I'm just confusing myself.

"So, Tenten," I said, testing out her name, "I'm leaving tomorrow." She didn't look at me or say anything, just stared at the ground as she nibbled her sandwich. "You don't seem to get a lot of visitors. Will you be okay by yourself?" Which was very much true, by the way. I've been watching her even though she's been avoiding me. The only person that comes around is Hatake Kakashi, but he only comes at night and not very often either. It's not stalking, it's _observing_.

"I don't know how you know that and I'm not sure I want to know either, but yeah, I'll be fine. I'm leaving tomorrow as well." Urk, she must think I'm some psycho stalker.

"I see. Do you need a drive home or something?" I asked, smiling at her. She seemed to be considering the question as she clicked her tongue in thought. Then she turned to me and smiled. God that smile… I'm pretty sure I ranted about it already, but now that I look at it, it seems to be sort of…sad.

"I was planning to take a bus, but I guess it'd be pretty inconvenient. Don't worry, I'll manage myself," she said quietly with a small smile. At that point, I wanted to take her in my arms, squeeze her real tight, and carry her home. I mean so I can hold her hostage…and lure the Phantom. Yeah. Bind and gag her and…forget it. I'll just confuse myself even more. Those kinds of thoughts are the last thing I need right now…

"Would you like my brother to drive you as well?" I asked politely, though for some reason, a tad desperate as well. She didn't answer right away, of course. The brunette has never answered right away to my questions… She merely murmured, "I'll think about it".

We sat in silence as she finished off her sandwich. It wasn't uncomfortable silence, despite us not knowing each other for very long. Oh hell no, I'm abnormally happy right now. I haven't been happier being around anyone else. I'm thinking (hoping) it's the coffee. I kept catching myself staring at Tenten, just nibbling away on her sandwich. She reminds me of a hamster in a way. Or maybe a panda… either way, it's adorable. Without warning, she grabbed her crutches and got on her feet.

"I need to go now," she whispered, her back turned against me. Not again… for fucks sakes! It's a goddamn hospital! How busy can you get when you're in a hospital? I'm not letting her get away this time. I got up quickly and ran up to her, grabbing her hand that was holding her crutch.

"Are you avoiding me?" I demanded. Tenten immediately stopped in her tracks. She looked at me, for the first time, right in the eye. Her eyes were clouded with what appeared to be hatred. I suddenly felt like I had been stabbed in the heart and kneed in the stomach at that realization. But I kept my cool. If it was one thing I learned from my bastard of a father, it's not letting your weaknesses show. Well technically I learned that from Gaara, who was forced to learn these things because of the bastard. My dad had always hated him the most because he was so different in every way.

I delved deeper into Tenten's chocolate eyes, piercing them with my turquoise-green ones. She kept her gaze locked onto me, I continued searching, searching for a hint of poison that will perhaps show me that she was the Phantom. She seemed to be searching through mine as well. But beyond the, what I realize was false hate, there was not a hint of evil. There was nothing that told me that she was, or had anything to do with the Phantom. If you concentrate on one's eyes, you can easily tell what kind of person they are. At least that's how that is with me. But Tenten's were genuine, despite the false hatred. The only thing they reflected was loneliness, and that hint of sadness. The sadness that seemed to follow her everywhere and wasn't very noticeable.

"Temari," she said in a serious tone, "we can't be friends." She smiled at me. It was just like her previous smiles, I noticed… it was sad, and not quite genuine, but still beautiful.

"I won't ask why, you wouldn't answer me if I asked anyway," I replied, still keeping my cool. I smiled at her and said firmly, "but I won't stop trying either." My body seemed to move at it's own accord and my mind was too blank to protest as I slowly let go of her hand and cupping her face. She froze, her eyes widened with a sense of fear that I didn't failed to notice at that moment. I leaned down slowly, expecting her to run away any second. I was a centimetre away from reaching my mark, she didn't move at all. She kept her gaze on mine the whole time. I leaned down and closed the space between us. My eyes immediately closed. The feeling of righteousness and familiarities was beyond words. I felt like I had kissed these soft lips a thousand times before. The world faded away and everything stopped when she, to my surprised, kissed me back. My legs were about to give in. Tenten's lips were a big contrast to those of all the men I've kissed before. I moaned. And reality hit me. Hard.

My eyes flung open, as I pulled away quickly. Tenten's big eyes opened as well, but she had a dazed expression on her face, much like the one she wore at the party. Shit. I just kissed someone I barely knew. Someone of the same sex. Oh shit. Must keep cool, must keep cool!

"S-Sorry, I-I don't know what came over me!" Wow Temari, you're pathetic. What happened to keeping cool? You stuttering fool! Yes, I'm mentally punching the lights out of myself.

"Uh… that was my first kiss…" Tenten whispered rather calmly. She sat back down on the bench and motioned me to come closer. She tugged on the edge of my hospital gown, telling me to lower myself. I kneeled in front of her, still confused. She pulled the on my gown roughly. My face was once again centimetres away from the brunette's. Being so close to her, I blushed. For the first time in my life, I blushed. I was red, uncomfortable, and afraid of what she was going to do next. She brought her mouth close to my ear, her warm breath tickling it.

"That was better than what people say," She whispered sexily into my ear, "but sorry, we still can't be friends." She pulled away slowly, giving me a small peck on the lips before gently shoving me back. I was genuinely shocked. Shocked over a couple of things, actually. First, I was shocked at she didn't shove me off before I had kissed her. Then at her reaction afterwards and what she said. Lastly, I was completely shocked at how _sexy_ this girl can be.

"T-that d-doesn't stop me from, err… d-driving you home!" I managed to yell back before all coherent speech escaped my mind.

"No thanks, I'll take a bus," she called back without turning around.

This girl was driving me crazy! And she knows it! She's doing it on purpose just to throw me over the edge…and it bothers me that she doesn't even seem to be trying! Except for that sexy remark back there, which I'm still blushing over.

But! There was one thing that bothers me. Putting all this swoon-y confusing crap aside, a question remains. Why won't she be my friend? If she had any ties with the Phantom, it would clearly be an advantage. She would be able to monitor me without arousing suspicions. She would have the liberty of knowing every detail about me. She would know my weaknesses, my strengths, my passions, my likes and dislikes, and all that stuff. Now that she knows how close I'm willing to be with her, she shouldn't have turned down my offer. On the other hand, if she had no ties at all with the mystery man, why couldn't she be my friend? There was no way she could've recognized me as the Tempest. No that's out of question; Midnight's disguise is too clever. The full face-length mask, highlighted extensions, and piercings made me a whole different person. Perhaps I gave off a bad aura? As if she believes these things anyway. Maybe she knew right off the bat that I was just trying to get into her pants. Not that I am. Though that would be… no, no! She's strictly out of question! Being a girl and all, a rather suspicious girl that may have something to do with the bastard…

However, looking at this from another angle. She may have nothing to do with him at all. She could've been in a motorcycle accident for all I know. Maybe she owes Hatake money, so he comes in to bother her…or threaten her. For some reason that thought really bugged me. I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach at the thought of her being hurt more than she already is. Tenten's giving me all these feelings that I've never known or felt until now. Feelings I don't even know how to describe. Ugh…I wanna just hide in a corner and mope by myself.

I realized I was still sitting on the cold tiles of the garden pavement where Tenten had shoved me. Before I could get up, however, something hit me. Something's head butted my side at full speed while was massaging my temples, still thinking. Whatever it was, knocked the breathe out of me. I would've fell on my broken arm if I didn't have godly balance. C'mon, I travel on a giant fan for god's sakes!

I turned my head to glare down at the thing that disrupted my thoughts rather violently. My expression immediately softened at the sight of this little cutie. It was a little pink piggy with a pearl necklace and a jacket. She was so cute, that I automatically picked her up and squeezed her. Something I've been dying to do to a certain brunette since I laid eyes on her. Well, the second time I laid eyes on her. I was too confused the first time.

As I continued cuddling the piggy, I saw Shizune running towards me out of the corner of my eye.

"Oh, thank goodness you found her!" she said, catching her breath, "thank you so much, Temari! It'd be my neck if I lost her." I stared back and forth between her and the pig with a bewildered expression. Wow, who knew someone had a pet pig in a city like this. I handed the soft, pink, squealing animal back to the nurse before getting up myself.

"Is she yours?" I asked curiously. She smiled at me before replying, "You can say that… she's really Tsunade-san's. Why don't you accompany me to her office? You can hold Tonton if you like. She seems to like you a lot. I think Tsunade-san would like to reward you." I grinned happily as I gently took the pig from Shizune. She was just so cute, you can't help but want to squeeze the air out of her. Gee, that sounds like someone I know…

"So you guys share her? That's really cute," I asked while tickling Tonton on our way back to the main building. Funny how the piggy's name is so similar to that same certain someone's…

She giggled, "You can say that, I guess. I take care of her, Tsunade-san just owns her."

"Well, she's really adorable. Are the clothes your idea?"

"Nope… Tsunade didn't like her all pink and naked, so she made the jacket for her. She eventually added the necklace so Tonton looked more feminine. She doesn't seem to mind though." The pig in my arm squealed happily at the sound of her name.

"Ah, does she always run away from you?"

"No, well at least not this far. She runs around a lot, but usually stays on the office floor. It gets really troublesome but Tsunade-san insists I bring her to the hospital everyday. Even though she doesn't take care of her, she's really protective over her. Tonton usually runs away when she smells something that catches her attention."

"Hah, I didn't know pigs have such a strong sense of smell."

"Nope! It's just her! Tonton's one special piggy." The pig squealed again, lifting her head proudly. It was as if she understood our conversation…cute, yet eerie.

"Well, I hope I don't smell bad…"

"Hahah, don't worry, I can't smell anything. That's a bit weird though, but oh well. Tonton must've thought you had a strong…mental scent? I don't know," she laughed.

We took the elevator up to the higher floors were the offices were. It was mostly empty, as the doctors were downstairs, too busy for paperwork. Tsunade's office was a whole separate room at the far end. From what I can see from the translucent glass around her door, the blonde doctor was in there with someone else.

"Tsunade-san, we found Tonton. May we come in?" Shizune said politely, gently tapping the door with her knuckles. Tsunade sounded overly happy as she told us to enter.

"Tontooooon!" the doctor cried, flinging her arms around the pig _and_ me. I closed my eyes as I braced for the impact. Her enormous chest must've been suffocating Tonton, as she started squealing loudly. Suddenly, Tsunade yelped and jumped back, rubbing her cleavage. "Tonton! That hurt!" she cried. I opened my eyes and tried to suppress my laughter. The pig huffed and snuggled her self deeper into my, relatively smaller, breasts. I raised an eyebrow and looked at Shizune. She just giggled and pointed to the pen beside the doctor's desk that was piled high with papers and folders. Hey wait, is that sake (1) I see? Drinking on the job eh?

That was when I noticed the other person sitting in one of the chairs across from the doctor's own seat. I mentally slapped my forehead and kicked myself.

"Hello, Temari. Funny meeting you here," said the person I least wanted to see right now.

"Uh, hi there, T-Tenten." Dammit you! What happened to your make-everyone-fall-in-love-with-you social skills? Where's your charm, Temari? She's just another girl! Breathe! Okay, now mooove your aaarms. Slowly now, place Tonton back into the pen. C'mon now. Stop staring at her! I kicked myself mentally over and over again. Regain bodily movement now.

Tonton squealed loudly, snapping me out of my trance and mental war. And so…I dropped her. Aw, shit. She kept squealing as she ran around in circles around me, head butting my leg now and then. I turned around to look at Shizune and Tsunade, who were still standing at the door and gaping at me.

"Yeah, this is embarrassing," I laughed sheepishly, picking up Tonton again and placing her into the pen. She was still running around in circles… I hope I didn't hurt her mentally…

Tsunade walked up to me, displaying no facial expression whatsoever. Now I'm scared. She picked up a standard A4 sized paper fan and whacked me on the head with it. Jesus, this woman is crazy…I rubbed the top of my head, and glared at her. She glared right back at me. Dammit I think I felt one of my four pompoms move… No one messes with Temari's hair! Just as I had grabbed hold of her white jacket, she raised her fan and hit me again. I growled as Shizune stepped in and held Tsunade back. The blonde doctor shot me another dirty look. I was going to jump her again when I felt cold metal hit me in the stomach. I groaned and keeled over at the impact. I glared up at Tenten, who only smirked at me before retracting her crutch.

A while later, after we both calmed down, I took a seat next to Tenten as Tsunade sat down in her chair as well. Shizune fed Tonton before standing beside Tsunade. The doctor started talking about our leave tomorrow or something like that. I don't know, but she was talking. I looked back and forth from Shizune to Tsunade, thinking what an unlikely pair they made. Then Tsunade proceeded to talk about something else, I think it was Tonton. I kept my gaze on the piggy in the pen next to me, who was sleeping soundly in a corner and blanked out from the conversation.

"…Temari-san's okay with it." I perked up at the sound an angelic voice next to me saying my name.

"Sorry? I didn't get the last thing you said," I said, smiling sheepishly.

"Tsunade-san wanted to treat us to dinner for rescuing Tonton," Tenten explained. I nodded, not really paying attention still. Tonton was now awake and trying to jump at me. "So…what do you say, Temari?" the brunette continued.

"Wait," I said, confused, "what do you mean treat _us_ to dinner?"

"You know, me…and you? You and me? Does that make sense to you?" She said slowly as if she was talking to a two-year-old. The nerve of that girl! She has definitely gotten bolder after realizing her power over me. Ugh, make these feelings go away! Wait, what did she say? Dinner? Me and Tenten? _Just_ me and Tenten? No, that can't be right.

"Temari!" someone snapped impatiently from across the desk. Oh, the old hag.

"What?" I snapped back.

"We're still waiting for your answer," Shizune explained politely, "Tsunade-san wants to invite the two of you to dinner tomorrow night after you sign out and put your luggage away. It's a thank you for finding Tonton."

"Wait…why is _she_ invited too?" I asked pointing a finger at the brunette next to me.

"Well, I just _assumed_ you two were quite close. The more the merrier! Plus you have no say on this anyway." Tsunade smiled at me. Scary…

I woke up early the next morning, just lounging around until Kankuro or Gaara came to get me. I had already packed up everything, which wasn't much, the night before. I was just sitting on my bed and finishing off the book Shika lent me, when someone barged in through the door.

"Tema-chaaaaaaaan!" Oh, god. Why the hell is Ino here? I hid my face with my book in an effort to hide. Of course, she found me and proceeded to tackle me down with a hug. You can barely call it a hugging…it felt more like homicide.

"I-Ino! It's a hospital! Behave yourself for once will you?" Oh hey, I knew that voice! Ooh, I wonder…could it be?

"Eh? You're no fun, you know that?" Ino said with a pout as she finally got off me. I slowly got up as well, finally being able to feel the oxygen again.

"Well, well, look who it is!" I said smirking at the familiar face beside Ino. "Oh, what? You didn't think I could do it?" the blonde said, smiling as she took her lover's hand, "Rawr, I belong to Sakura-chan now. So if you ever get jealous and hurt my little cherry blossom, I won't hesitate to kick your ass!"

I laughed, "I'd like to see you try. I can't believe you really tamed her, Sakura. I wonder if I should be scared of you… Anyway, what are you guys doing here? I thought you knew I was leaving today."

"Of course! That's why we're driving you home!" Ino cried, proudly twirling her car keys, "I managed to get your brothers to let me drive you. Because! It was your fault I got into this mess." I raised an eyebrow at her.

"What do you mean 'mess'?" Sakura said, poking her sides.

"H-hey stop that! You know very well how ticklish I am! So lemme finish!" Ino said while squirming away from Sakura's finger.

"I mean, it's your fault I got involved into this mess. And you don't know how much I love you for that!" The blonde stepped forward and hugged me again, a real hug this time. She grinned and said, "Of course, I love Sakura more. So! I won't take back what I said about you hurting her!" She punched me lightly in the arm before getting my luggage.

"Oh wait, you don't mind driving someone else home do you?"

"Huh? Well of course not! I'll go bring your luggage down while you get him or her, Sakura better stay with you. Just don't touch my honey okay?" The photographer said, with a wide grin on her face as she walked out the door with my suitcase.

"Her room is just around the corner here," I said, smiling at the pink-haired girl, "hey, sorry if I said anything harsh that night." She looked at me questioningly.

"What? Oh you mean at the party? Don't worry about it," she said smiling back at me, "if you hadn't said that I never would've given this a second thought."

"So what do you think of her? I hope she's not chaining you to the bed every night, I'd feel really awful."

She giggled, "Don't worry about that, I can have her begging on her knees if I wanted to. But she's really sweet, and not to mention understanding. Despite how she acts, she'll give you space if you ask for it. But not too much space so you know she still cares. Honestly, I've always been alone, so having someone beside you takes some getting used to. I mean, Hinata is my best and only real friend, but she never has time for me as I'm sure you know."

"Hah," I snorted, "I would've never guessed. She's always been the kind to get her nose in everything to me, the kind that feeds on details. So how did she do it?"

"What?"

"I mean, how did she win you over?"

"Oh. That was kind of cute actually… she came to my doorsteps with a box. It was rainy that day too, so she came with an umbrella. But she kept most of it above the box, soaking her hair. Which really, isn't the sort of thing she would do in a million years… so anyways, the box." The DJ started making hand gestures to tell me the approximate size of the box, her facial expressions brightening noticeably on the topic.

"Ino demanded to be let inside, so of course I let her. She stopped me before I could even go get a towel for her. She gave me the box, telling me to be extra gentle, and made just stood there, waiting for me to open it. Inside the box was a little grey-striped kitten with little grey socks. She couldn't have been more than three weeks old. The first thing I noticed was the bright red ribbon tied around the kitten's neck, a pink heart hanging from it. She told me to open the case before I could say anything. I noticed she had turned around, and tried to look everywhere but at me. Aah it was so cute, you'd have to be freakin' blind to not fall in love with her on the spot!" She stopped and smiled at me, but said nothing more.

"Wait, aren't you going to tell me what was in there?" I cried. I seriously hate it when people leave me hanging.

"Hmm…I won't tell you everything since it's suppose to be between us only," she replied grinning, "it was a little piece of paper, folded many times to fit into the case. She wrote some very sweet things, but what she said next was what made my heart stop." Sakura's face was as pink as her name now. But she stopped again, waiting for me to spazz. Which is, of course, exactly what I did.

"Alright, alright! Jeez, Temari, calm down. She said, 'Nobody can survive without love. The kitten needs my love as much as I need yours. If you abandon me now, I'm afraid I don't know what I'll do to myself…' That was part of it. Man, she was so vulnerable then, I knew she couldn't be lying. Hell, it made the kitten look invincible. So I gave her a chance, thankfully without regret."

"That's beautiful, but just a bit heavy on the cheese," I laughed, "who knew Ino was capable of doing that. Oh by the way, here's a tip: when Ino lies, she tends to get _very_ red in the ear."

"I'll keep that in mind," giggled Sakura.

I poked my head into Tenten's room, smiling at the sight of the brunette doing some last minute packing. She wore a pair of dark jeans with lots of pockets, her belt going from the left side of her waist to the top of her right knee. On top of that, she wore a soft sky-blue sleeveless hoodie. Yeah, Adorably sexy all right. I crept up to her as quiet as possible and jabbed her in the side with my finger. She spun around and knocked me in the jaw with her elbow. Damn, this girl has killer reflexes…

"Oh my god Temari! Are you okay? Shit, good thing I was behind you to support your fall or else you could've gotten yourself one more week here," the pink haired DJ sighed. My eyes were still closed while I lied still in Sakura's arms.

"Oh…Temari…" a familiar voice said in an annoyed tone, "sorry that's a habit," a familiar voice said. I opened my eyes, to see Tenten's large brown ones, staring back at me with concern. Good thing I was already on the ground, cause I'm pretty sure my legs would've gave way at the sight of those eyes.

"It's okay, nothing's hurt," I said smiling back at her. Okay so I lied. For some reason I felt my heart beat so fast, it seemed like it'd break my ribcage. Plus my stomach felt weird again. These things seem to always happen around her… I don't know what it is but it's pissing me off!

"Good, lets get going to the car before Ino comes to check on us. I doubt that'd be very pretty." Sakura said after helping me to my feet. Yeah, I can just imagine her charging down the hallways screaming our names, then getting dragged away to be questions by authorities. Sigh, that girl worries me sometimes, with or without Sakura to hold her back.

"Temari, I thought I told you I was going to take the bus."

"Sorry, sexy, you're coming with me," I said, "I'll carry you if I have to, but you're not taking the bus." Wow I sound strangely protective… I really hope I don't have to carry her…

"Nope, I checked out already and I'm leaving," she said firmly, giving me a glare.

"Not if I can help it. Sakura, take the luggage, please. Oh, and don't forget the crutches." Sakura just nodded unenthusiastically. Tenten was about to say something, but before she could, I swept her up and put her over my shoulder. Damn, this girl's really light. She screamed and punched my back, but of course, it was no use. I carried her like that all the way to the parking lot.

I placed her in the back seat of Ino's sleek marine sports convertible. I slid in next to her quickly even though I knew she couldn't get out by herself. Ino and Sakura joined us quickly after putting in Tenten's luggage.

"Well, well, what have we got here," Ino smirked as she slid into the driver's seat, "what's your name, beautiful?"

"Tenten," the brunette next to me muttered irritably as she burned holes into the car next to us.

"Well then, Tenten, where shall I be taking you to, today?" Receiving no response, Ino just sighed.

"Temari, your taste in women is absolutely impeccable."

"Is that sarcasm, Ino? You know—"

"Don't! Say anything about my honey!"

"I'm right here you know…" Sakura sighed. Ino just giggled as she leaned over to give the DJ a small peck on the lips.

"Well, Tenten-chan, if you're not going to say anything… I could perhaps drive you to our house. A threesome sounds nice," the photographer said, turning around to give the irritated girl a wink.

"Or would you prefer Temari's apartment?" she continued, grinning at me wickedly.

"I'll give you ten seconds to answer before you're coming to my apartment," I sighed, just wanting to get this over with. Tenten kept quiet as she continued staring at the car beside us.

"Well then, off we go!" Ino cried happily as she initiated the car.

"Oh yeah, Temari, let's go out for drinks tonight! In celebration of you finally getting out of the hospital!"

"You're just looking for an excuse to get drunk, Ino… Sorry, but I have plans."

"Going out for some Chinese tonight eh?" the blonde teased, winking into the rearview mirror, "No matter, Sakura-chan will drink with me neeeeee Sakura-chaaan?"

"I don't know, you got pretty damn scary last time…"

"Aww c'mon! Those cuff marks went away after a day or two! Besides, I hid all that stuff anyway."

"You…really didn't need to share."

"Shut up Temari, you're just jealous cause Sakura-chan got me first!"

"Yes, yes, whatever. Don't forget I turned you down first."

"Okay, _that_… I was drunk alright?"

"Oh, oh, share! You never told me this, Ino! Are you hiding something from me?"

"Don't worry, Sakura, it was a long time ago. But it's fun to bring it back up." I laughed. I love bringing this up in front of Ino, the story of how we met and her attempt to get into my pants.

"See, one night, Ino was just drinking away at my bar. The whole time she was there, she kept saying all these cheesy catch phrases. I tried to reply as blunt as I could since it seemed to work with the men. But Ino was very persistent on spending the night with me. She started to get frustrated and eventually climbed over the bar counter and try a more physical approach."

Sakura laughed and reached over to playfully punch Ino in the arm. Ino just stuck her tongue out at her.

"So what did you do?" the pink-haired girl asked.

"I did what any normal bartender would do," I said proudly, "I kneed her in the stomach three times, socked her in the jaw, poured rum on her head, and threw her over the counter. Of course, she passed out."

"Which is why I try not to drink near Temari. But now that I have you, Sakura-chan, I won't have to live through that ever again. I couldn't move at all after that. Just don't hurt me so much…"

"You handcuffed me last time, remember? There was no way I could've hurt you."

"Hey Tenten," I said gently, "I really don't have a choice but to bring you back to my apartment if you're not going to tell me your address. You do have to get ready for Tsunade-san's dinner tonight…" The brunette grunted in response.

"Oh well, at least its Temari. I'm pretty sure she won't do anything _bad_," Ino giggled, "damn straight girls. This girl hasn't been screwed in _years_. It's like she's allergic to love."

"Thanks Ino. No one really needed to know that," I mumbled. Even though it's true, it doesn't mean people should know. Tenten of all people! So I did turn away from love for a couple of years. So what? All the guys I've ever gone that far with were all nothing but cheating jackasses in one way or another. Even Shika dumped me for another girl back in fifth grade. I pounded the bastard's face in the next day. Out of the corner of my eye, I Tenten smirk at me.

"I have experienced enough love in the past to know that I'm just not cut out for love,"

Ino grinned into the rearview mirror, "Don't worry, Temari, you'll find him soon. Just gotta open your eyes a little. If a wildcat like me can find love, you'll get there in no time." I had my doubts, but then again…after so many years of false love and murder mystery novels, I wouldn't know love if it slapped me across the face.

"That reminds me! Sakura, what did you do with Socks? You didn't leave her all alone did you? That would be cruel!"

"Well what did you want me to do? Hire a nanny for the kitten? I just put her in the bathroom with some food and water."

"Oh my god! Sakura-chan you know the bathroom is dangerous! How could you do that to her? She's our lovechild!" They continued talking as I stared out the window and spaced out.

"We're here, Tema-chan!" the blonde photographer cried as she got out of the car. "Alrighty then! Sakura and I will bring the luggage up, so why don't you two go up first." Ino pushed Sakura back into the trunk of the car, kissing her gently. I sighed as I watched them from the back seat, "At least give me Tenten's crutches before you start making out in the middle of the streets." No reply whatsoever. Dammit they should just get a room.

"Great, should I carry you? Or do you prefer to walk up the stairs. We can get away from these two a lot faster if I carry you." She gave me no reply either. Argh what's with people and ignoring me nowadays? Wait…oh. She's asleep. Guess I'll have to carry her. I suppose I can balance her on my cast, it'd be kind of hard though. Well a little bit of pain won't matter to me. I picked her up as gently as I could, but even then I was surprised she didn't wake up. I had rattled her quite a bit but still managed to pick her up without waking her. I saw Ino wink at me as I was closing the door with me back. I just rolled my eyes and stuck my tongue out at her before heading up to the apartment.

Carrying Tenten wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I mean, my heart was beating very fast but that's about it. Until she start snuggling. Into. My. Boobs. My heart nearly jumped out of my chest at the sudden movement. I swear every single drop of blood in me immediately rushed to my face. If I don't put her down soon, I'm gonna drop her. Right here in the elevator. Oh god, if she doesn't stop rubbing her nose…there… I'm gonna…shit. I think I just moaned out load.

The sound of the elevator's _ding_ saved my life. I practically ran to my door. It took me five minutes to fish out the keys out of my pocket. Another five minutes to find the _right_ key, then yet _another_ ten minutes to find the keyhole. Let me tell you, it not easy carrying one bundle of sexy brunette in both arms and getting keys out of skin tight jeans. Especially if said brunette was snuggling your boobs like a teddy bear. I've got some real skills being able to do that in twenty minutes.

I quickly tucked her in my bed and went off to the kitchen. Honestly, I don't usually cook cause well, I can't. Most of the time, I just mooch off Shikamaru before we go off snooping at night. When he's busy, I mooch off one of my brothers. Cup noodles are my last resort. Seeing as my kitchen was very much empty, I just grabbed a can of Coke before heading back to the living room to watch some TV before they get here.

Before too long, I heard giggling and laughing in the hallways. Unfortunately, this place isn't very soundproof.

"Temariii, open up before I blow it up!" laughed the blonde outside my door.

"I'm coming, dammit!" I yelled back, pressing the power button on the remote. The blonde barged in as soon as I unlocked it, flinging herself onto the couch.

"Wow Temari! Why hadn't you brought me here sooner? It's so niiiice and spacioooous," she cried, rolling off the couch and onto the carpet. She didn't even seem to notice when she slammed her forehead into the coffee table, moving my can of Coke closer to the edge.

"Jeez, Ino! Not so loud! Tenten's sleeping, dammit!"

"What? You ate her already? Oh my god Temari… there goes my threesome plan. But hey, a foursome is even better!" I raised an eyebrow and shot her a look.

"Yeah, yeah I know. Just playing with you. Heheh, I saw you carry her out of the car."

"So where should I put this?" Sakura cut in with both suitcases in hand.

"Uh, you can leave Tenten's here. I'll take mines in myself, thank you by the way."

"No problem," she smiled as she passed me my suitcase handle.

"Don't break anything while I'm gone… especially you Ino." I said jokingly, heading to my room. I crept in quietly, afraid to wake the sleeping brunette. I guess I'll unpack when Tenten leaves, hopefully soon. I placed my suitcase in front of closet. Just as I was about to leave, I noticed Tenten had somehow flung off her blankets. Normally, I would've just left, not really caring. But somehow, it felt as if I was _drawn_ to her. I gently put the covers back over her, trying not to wake her. Oh no, what am I doing? Head. Up. Now! Nooo, don't kiss her again! Once was more than enough. Crap, why can't I control my body? I was only about a centimetre away when she moaned.

"What are you doing?" she mumbled sleepily in a husky voice. I swallowed my spit nervously, still hovering above her face. Well, Temari? She asked you a question. It was no use, my mouth refused to move! I was yelling and screaming at myself, trying to form sentences but to no avail. Suddenly she leaned up and pressed her lips against mines for a brief second.

"There. Happy now?" she mumbled before turning her back against me and going back to sleep. I was frozen on the spot while my mind completely shut down.

Next thing I know, I was back in the living room with Sakura and Ino on either side of me.

"Temari, are you okay?" asked the pink-haired girl on my right. I nodded stiffly.

"Looks like Cupid shot her in the crotch," the blonde on my left remarked. I blinked, looking at the two of them.

"Eh, how did I get out here…?"

"We dragged you out here you dork. You fainted for all of two minutes."

"Fainted?"

"Mmhmm. You look really red…do you have a fever or something?"

"I don't think so…"

Sakura sighed, "It's like you said, Ino-chan. She's in love."

That comment hit me so hard, I dropped the cup of water Ino had handed me earlier.

"Sakura-chan I think you traumatized her!"

"Okay, okay. Let's start from the beginning." I coughed. The idea of being in love hadn't even been in my head since eighth grade. That was when I still believed in the idea of monogamy.

"First of all, what do you think of Tenten in terms of physical appearance?" Sakura asked without much enthusiasm. Wait, is she implying that I…

"Uh, she's…cute?"

"That's it?"

"Yeah…"

"Alright. What do you think of Ino?"

"Ino…?

"Why me…?

"No reasons, I just need an answer. Don't worry, be honest."

"Honestly huh? Well, she's…pretty."

"Okay…tell me, how do you feel when you're around Ino."

"How do I feel? It depends on her mood, really. Sometimes happy, sometimes scared."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean? I'm not scary!"

"Ino-chan if you don't be quiet, you're not getting any tonight." The blonde opened her mouth to say something, but quickly closed it. Damn, this girl has her on a fucking leash!

"Moving on…what kind of feelings do you get around Tenten?" How the hell am I supposed to answer that?

"I…don't think I can describe it…clearly. Chest pain and queasy stomach?"

"That means you're pregnant."

"I'm _what_?"

"Calm down! I'm just playing with you…so chest pains and queasy stomach eh?"

"I don't know what they are…"

"That's alright. Now, answer me truthfully answer me this: have ever kissed Tenten. Pecks don't count." Oh god, I'm screwed.

"O-once! Y-yeah. Not on purpose though!" Ino was about to say something, but knew better and only smirked at me. Sakura just smiled at me as she continued with her questions. Thank god she never asked me how that felt…that'd be really strange.

"Have you kissed other girls before?"

"Nope."

"Alright, now I need you to kiss Ino." Both of us gaped at her. "You heard me. Pecks don't count, so just get it over with."

I started leaning towards her hesitantly. She seemed really hesitant as well. "Fuck it, Temari, let's just get it over with," Ino muttered, crushing her lips onto mine. Let me tell you, it was _really_ awkward. It's not that she was a bad kisser…it just felt…weird. She was better than the guys I've kissed, but she couldn't even _compare _to Tenten. Tenten's kiss was her first one too… Ino lingered for about five seconds before pulling away.

"Not bad, Temari, but you're just a newbie compared to Saku-chan!" She said proudly.

"Well then, Temari, what do you think?" Sakura asked, kicking Ino.

"Better than a guy, I'd say. But it really wasn't anything special. It didn't really feel right anyway."

"Well then, there you go! Congratulations, you're still straight," she giggled. Oh good, so I'm not –

"But you're undeniably in love with the brunette in your room," Sakura finished with a smirk.

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(1) Rice wine. Very much alcoholic.

* * *

**A/N: I noticed these chapters are getting longer and longer... but anyway, keep in mind that the rating may eventually go up (I brought it down again because I'm so indecisive) due to future lemon(s?) **


	6. Vulnerable

**A/N:** So, I realized I mixed up Kankuro and Temari's ages. So let's pretend I did that on purpose... Not much to say up here. I suggest you read it all, Author's Notes and all. This chapters kinda cheesy, so I apologize for that. It was pretty rushed too... and the action should be back soon! Once I magically heal them both...

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto or the songs mentioned in this chapter.

* * *

Chapter 6: Vulnerable. 

"I lo—I-I _w-what_?" I stuttered in shock. No way… _Tenten_? Oh c'mon, of all people! Shit, I don't believe this and I refuse to! Absolutely refuse to! They have no idea how dangerous that can be if she was indeed connected to the Phantom in any way. Of all people it just had to be the hot, dangerous, impossible one. Not to mention super cuddly… I mean, y'know. I don't know! God. This just complicated my life tenfold. I can't do this…

"Wow, Sakura-chan! You're so smart!" Ino said happily before jumping over me and tackled the pink-haired girl down. I turned away when the tongues came out. God if my relationship ever turns out like _that_, it's going to be pretty bothersome… But then again… Get you're fuckin' head out of the gutter, Temari…

A couple of minutes later, Sakura pulled away and sat up, gingerly pulling Ino with her so she was straddling her lap.

"Quit being so oblivious, Ino. I refuse to believe I realized before you did," Sakura said, raising an eyebrow. Ino only smirked before kissing her lover once more. I swear to god, if they keep making out in front of me like that I'm going to strangle them both. I don't care how hot it is I—wait what? Did I just call that hot? I mean…my face is burning again… I've seen Ino make out with a billion girls! So what the hell? Then again, out of all those times, I have never wished _I_ was swapping spit with a girl like _that_.

Getting uncomfortably hot, I quickly turn away. I stole a quick glance at the digital numbers of the television clock. 8:35PM. Oh crap…Tsunade's dinner! I almost forgot about it! Well, I can't exactly get ready with these two ladies lounging around my apartment. I stood up quickly from my seat, my face still a tad pink. Ignoring the blush, I glared down at the busy couple. I growled quietly, knowing it went unnoticed. Well then, no time to waste. I suppose I'll have to use force.

"Alright you two, I'm expecting company in a couple hours. Off you go now," I said nonchalantly, grabbing the scruff of Ino's purple sleeveless turtleneck. She gave a small mewl in surprise as she tried to grab hold of Sakura's pink blouse. The pink-haired girl gaped at me as I held onto her struggling girlfriend.

"Okay, okay! Holy crap, Temari! No need to use force…" the DJ cried, taking back the blonde from my grasp. She carried her bridal style as they made their way to the door.

"By the way, Temari. You better call dibs on Miss I'm-so-perfect-and-Asian back there. If you don't want her, I know a lot of people that will," Ino said half-jokingly and half-seriously.

"Mmhmm, she's definitely Hyuuga's type." I eyed Sakura questioningly. What? Could it be…? Hyuuga…

"Hinata's cousin," the DJ said rolling her eyes and my disbelieving look, "as far as I know, Neji loves sassy anti-social people like her. He'd go both ways for someone like her." Both of them smiled at me before heading out the door. For some reason that felt like the time Kankuro threatened to eat my pet canaries. I punched the lights out of him when he said that. As for the birds, they flew off shortly after. I didn't talk to anyone for a whole two weeks…Well, I was pretty overprotective about the birds but that doesn't really relate to anything right now…

I looked around my apartment. It's so…quiet. Well I guess taking a shower right now would be a good idea. I'll just have to be careful not to wake the girl in my bedroom. When I got into the bathroom, I had that weird feeling as if I forgot something. It's usually a false alarm, so I just shrugged it off.

An hour or so later, I finally got out of the shower and realized what was missing. A towel. Yes, I was missing a fucking towel. If you've ever tried wearing tight clothes while you're soaked, you'd know it's not fun at all. And I highly doubt that sitting in the bathroom for a couple hours waiting for myself to dry is an option. I have no problem with walking right out and rummaging through my room while completely naked. Usually. But nope, I just had to forget it on the day I have a brunette made of pure sex sleeping in the very room I stash my towels.

I poked my head out of the bathroom and sure enough, Tenten is still sprawled over the sheets. "Hey, Tenten! Wake up!" I called from the bathroom. No response at all. I tried again and again to wake her up. After a couple minutes, she finally stirred. I called her again. She groaned and flipped herself to the side. One more time and she finally sat up and glared at me sleepily.

"Ugh, what the hell?" she muttered, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"Finally! Get me a towel will you? They're in the closet."

"Get it yourself."

"Well, you know, I'm kind of naked right now," I retorted with a roll of my eyes.

"Yeah, so? Get it yourself. I'm too comfortable," the brunette said, flopping back onto my pillow.

"Goddammit you—" I called back. Well, since she's "asleep" now, I guess I'll have to run. No wait, why would I run? I've showered with a million girls before. Once again, Temari, this girl is no different from other girls. Except for the attitude.

I slipped out and began to walk towards the closet, which was in the farthest corner of the room. I walked normally and coolly in all my naked glory. I felt her eyes on me but pretended not to care. She was burning holes into my skin, and I'm starting to feel my skin burn as well. A full-body blush? Impossible. Temari does _not_ blush, _especially_ full-body blushes. I was soaking my carpet but I don't care. I just needed to get out of her line of vision! God, I feel like a sheep in a pack of wolves. I finally reached the closet door.

"I don't know what you were afraid of, you've got one _hell_ of a body," came the brunettes voice behind me as I stood in front of the door. I saw her smirk at me through the full-length mirror on the door. Wow this can't be any more embarrassing I doubt I can get any redder than this. I glared into the mirror at the now grinning Tenten and quickly slipped into the closet.

Half an hour later, Tenten and I are both in the living room. The brunette was busy running my brush through her hair while I lazily flipped through the TV channels.

"Hey, you _are_ going home tonight right?" I asked seriously at some point.

"It depends," came her simple reply with a ribbon in her mouth as she was tying up her hair.

"What do you mean 'it depends'? Don't you have your own place to stay?"

"In a way, yes."

"Then can't you stay there instead? I'll get you a ride if you want."

"Are you trying to get rid of me?" she said waving the second ribbon at me accusingly. I wasn't too sure how to answer that question even if it is a yes or no question. I wanted to say yes but at the same time my head is screaming no..

"I'll let you decide," I answered to be safe. She smirked at me as she finger- combed her bangs into place.

"Then I'm sure you won't mind me staying here until someone comes to get me."

"What? How long would that be?"

"Hours, days, weeks, months? No clue." I inwardly groaned hoping it was the first one. This could get very difficult… What if she tries to kill me in my sleep or something!

After nearly an hour of lounging around and idle chatter, the doorbell rang. I opened the door to see a dark-haired nurse smiling at me. "Good evening, Temari-san," Shizune greeted politely with a slight bow, "Tsunade-san sent me to get you. She's waiting for us at the restaurant, and I'm hoping you would know where Tenten is. Tsunade-san didn't give me her address…"

I opened my mouth to say something, but quickly closed it when the brunette walked out of the kitchen with a bottle of pop (1).

"I heard my name," she said casually, popping open the pop bottle.

"Ah, Tenten-kun! I didn't expect to see you here. Well that just made my job a whole lot easier," Shizune sighed.

The three of us drove to the restaurant wordlessly. We got there pretty quickly as it turned out to be a nearby Japanese restaurant. Nothing _too_ fancy I suppose. Tsunade wasn't hard to spot either. Her booth was the only one with two jumbo-sized bottles of sake. I have a feeling that's not even going to be enough. Ah, it's going to be a long night…

"Took you guys long enough! I was starting to get bored," the blonde doctor said as we approached the table. She picked up her pair of chopsticks and began twirling them between her fingers.

"Ah, it was faster than I had planned since Tenten-kun was at Temari-san's apartment." Tsunade look at us with a surprised expression and dropped the chopsticks immediately.

"Tenten, come. We still have something we need to discuss," she said quickly, slipping out of the booth and dragged Tenten towards the main entrance. I raised a brow at Shizune, who only shrugged back. The two of us slid into the booth across from each other as we waited for the other two to return.

"Um, if you don't mind me asking…how long have you been together?" Shizune suddenly said as she looked through the menu.

"What do you mean?" I inquired back, putting my glass of water to my lips.

"I'm just curious about you and Tenten…" I spewed my water and choked, coughing violently. Shizune stood up to pat me on the back, an apologetic look on her face.

"What the _hell_ gave you the idea we had that kind of relationship? I'm very much straight, thank you." I said, slightly irritated after I had stopped coughing.

"Oh, I'm sorry. It's just that the way you two behave around each other is…interesting," she smiled as she handed me a napkin, "it's cute though." Great. Now someone else thinks I'm "in love". This is getting annoying… But I don't seem to mind too much.

"Yeah well, you probably know her better than I do. I just met her at the hospital, you know," I stated a-matter-of-factly.

"Well, I had no idea… I thought you would at least be close friends or something. Why was she at your house then?"

I shrugged and explained to her, "I tried to be nice and give her a ride home but she wouldn't tell me her address, so I brought her home."

"Ah…well, I think Tsunade would know. I doubt she'll give it to you though since it is, after all, classified information."

I just snorted, "Yeah whatever, guess it can't be helped. She'll leave when someone comes to get her she said."

"Irasshaimase (2)!" interrupted the waitresses' singsong voices from behind me. I turned around just in time to see Tenten shove one of the waitresses out of the way as she hobbled towards us on her crutches. She slid into my side of the booth rather roughly, shoving me closer to the wall. I craned my head back again to see Tsunade coming in slowly, apologizing to the waitress that was shoved. She sat down next to Shizune and massaged her temples. Shizune and I look at each other, deciding it was best not to ask.

"Well then, shall we order?" Tsunade said, forcing a smile.

"Uh, sure," I said cautiously, afraid she might explode.

"Are you alright, Tsunade-sama?" Shizune said, reaching over to massage her shoulders. I guess I'm not the only one who's scared of her since she used "sama".

"I'm fine, just need a drink or two." Or ten… I thought as I rolled my eyes, which fortunately, went unnoticed.

A cute dark-haired waitress came to take our orders. She glanced at me first, waiting for me to say something. I smiled at her and quickly placed my order. I watch as she blushed and turned to Shizune, fidgeting with her note pad. I saw her steal glances at me as she went around the table. I winked at her when she was scribbling down Tenten's order. She blushed a deeper shade of pink and scurried away. I get these often but it's always fun to play along even though I'm straight.

"You're quite a flirt," came the voice beside me suddenly. I grinned back at the brunette cockily. Tenten said nothing as she went back to poking her chopsticks with a somewhat pissed off look on her face. I couldn't tell if she was angry at the chopsticks or me. I secretly hoped it was me because it would mean she was jealous…

Throughout most of the dinner, the four of us just talked about random things. It was going pretty smoothly…until the third bottle of sake came. I'm pretty tolerant when it comes to alcohol, but I didn't drink as much as Tsunade and Tenten did. Shizune refused to drink at all, saying she needed to drive. Things started getting crazy when Tsunade declared a drinking contest. Hey I thought it would be fine since it was only sake. But nope, Tenten is extremely drunk now. What the hell am I going to do with her?

"Shit, I think you should take the two of us home now," I told Shizune as I took away Tenten's drink after the fifth bottle. She immediately began whining and clawing at my shirt. Tsunade was still drinking.

"Uh, yeah, I'll go get the car," Shizune said as she hurriedly walked out of the restaurant. Since I was left to take care of the two drunkards, the first thing I did was take away all alcoholic drinks. Tsunade eventually got tired of wrestling me for it and fell asleep on the seat. Tenten was still clawing me for sake.

After what seemed like hours, Shizune finally came back. She wordlessly came in, paid for the food, and dragged Tsunade out of the restaurant, leaving me with the now mewing Tenten. I piggybacked her outside while she started hitting my head, demanding more drinks.

Throughout the whole drive home, she would not let go of me. She thrashed, punched, kicked, clawed, and a whole lot more while howling for more sake. I let her hit me since she didn't hit very hard anyway and she missed most of the time. Shizune looked at me with a worried expression through the rearview mirror while Tsunade was still very much stoned in the passenger seat.

Once we got to my apartment, I carried her upstairs, with her still screaming at me. I quickly shoved her into my apartment and locked the door, afraid to upset the neighbours. The first thing she did when she saw the couch was flop. I rolled my eyes and picked her up again, which resulted in more screaming. I put her down on my bed and tucked her in. She immediately shut up. I rubbed my temples as I gazed down at her sleeping form. I have to say, it's quite a contrast from the Tenten five seconds ago. I was just about to leave when I felt someone tightly clasping onto my arm. Oh shit. I tried to shake it off, but was afraid to wake her. I pulled gently, trying to escape. Getting a bit irritated, I tried to shake her off, expecting her to eventually lose her grip. She only held on tighter and pulled me down with her. Well gee this can't be good.

I tried to squirm away, but she held on tighter every time. She pulled me closer to her, forcing me to face her. I felt the blood rush to my face as she stared at me with hazy eyes. The brunette inched closer to me, still holding onto my arm.

"Don't resist," she whispered into my ear. I froze as she started to crawl over me. She grinned at me drunkenly as she hovered over me. Tenten let go of her hold on my arm and slowly brought her arm up to the zipper of her hoodie. I swallowed thickly but didn't resist. I didn't move at all, just watched her. I was afraid to do something stupid if I moved. The brunette pulled down the zipper, revealing a grey sports bra underneath. I forced my eyes upwards, trying my hardest not to look at her erect nipples. Fuck, I know where this is going if I don't do something. She started reaching for her belt, but I grabbed her wrist, flipping her beside me. She just giggled drunkenly as I kept my hold on her arm. She didn't resist as I held her so close.

Honestly I have never spooned anyone before. None of my boyfriends had even thought about spooning without it leading to something else. Usually it was pretty uncomfortable having his erection right on my ass. But since I'm the one behind her and obviously, I don't have a penis, it was…enjoyable. I felt her chest rise and fall to the rhythm of her breathing as I held her. She was asleep. I had no way out since she was sleeping on my left arm. I didn't mind though, it was comfortable not to mention very warm. I fell asleep quickly as well.

I was jolted awake a while later as I felt something move, or someone rather. I looked down and realized Tenten had turned around so she was facing me. I smiled as she snuggled closer to my chest and fell asleep quickly again. At that point, I felt like everything was right.

The sun hit me in the face early in the morning and woke me up. I was in my room, and there's something warm snuggled into my chest. I turned over so I was on my back and rubbed my eyes. It took me a couple of seconds to register everything in my head. I looked down on my chest where a sleeping brunette held onto my waist tightly. Needless to say, I mentally panicked. I looked under the covers to see that both of us were still fully clothed, I sighed in relief as I thought back to last night. I'm surprised I had such good self-control last night. Sighing, I started to contemplate on what to do next.

I looked down at the brunette to see a set of oversized brown eyes staring back at me. I swallowed and whispered a hoarse, "Good morning." She just groaned and snuggled back into my chest. Well, at least I don't have to be anywhere until tonight. I need to get back to my bar tonight because I don't exactly trust anyone with it. And Gaara said he told Lee to help me watch over it, which makes me all the more worried.

"Hey do you know where you are?" I asked coolly.

"Yeah," she mumbled sleepily. Seconds later, her head sprang up. "Wait, Temari? What the hell are you doing here?" Tenten said with a panicked expression.

"Well, I don't know, maybe because I live here?" I said sarcastically, raising a brow at her. She groaned again and rolled over so she was on her back as well.

"Ugh, it's cold…wait," she sat up quickly, looking down at her clothes. "Why the hell am I half naked?" she said glaring at me angrily. I started to turn over to look at her but she pushed my face away.

"Don't look!" She cried as she looked around for her hoodie. She must've taken it off in the middle of the night because of the heat.

"I demand to know what the _fuck_ you did to me!" Tenten said angrily after she had zipped her hoodie back up.

"I didn't do anything!"

"Liar! Then explain the vest!"

I sighed, "You did that yourself. You were drunk and tried to…you know. I stopped you before you could take off your belt. I had to hold onto you so you don't go overboard." I looked her straight in the eyes, trying to prove to her I was genuinely telling the truth. She didn't say anything and an adorable pink blush spread across her face.

"C'mon let's go out for breakfast since my kitchen is practically empty." I said with a smile to make things less awkward for her.

"You know it wouldn't hurt to go grocery shopping once in a while," Tenten said as the two of us walked down to a nearby café.

"Didn't I tell you I rarely cook?"

"Rarely cook or _can't_ cook?" I glared at her knowing she hit the bulls-eye. The brunette just giggled and patted my shoulder.

"Don't worry, you're not the only one. Let's go grocery shopping after this. I don't know when I'm leaving so I might as well do something to help out."

"You've gotta stop deciding things for yourself… not that I mind having someone cook for me. You might as well do my laundry too, you can act as my temporary wife," I said grinning jokingly.

"Don't push it, Temari." Wow, is that a blush I see? Hm, maybe not… I kind of wish it was. Wait, you're thinking weirdly again! Stop it!

"Uh, Temari are you okay? Why are you slapping yourself…?"

"Huh?" I stared at her confusedly, "oh! Uh, there was a…uh…bug…on my face. Yeah."

"That's a lot of bugs," she said with a smirk. Great, I just had to go and embarrass myself again.

Breakfast went by pretty uneventfully. The highlight of that would probably be Tenten licking jam off her fingers. I feel like such a pervert but I had a lot of fun watching that. This whole thing love thing is still pissing me off. But c'mon, you don't have to be _in love _with someone like her to get _aroused_ by her. Wait, you didn't hear that from me…

The grocery store! Damn, I haven't been to one in months! It's kind of exciting, actually. Tenten looked through everything slowly as I raced up and down the aisles with the cart.

"Oi, be careful--" I was just about to turn but I slammed into another cart. I flew forward due to impact since I was going pretty damn fast. I managed a back flip and landed on my feet in front of the cart. I turned around to see Tenten gaping at me.

"Looks like your acrobatic lessons finally paid off," came a familiar nonchalant voice from behind me. I spun around to see none other than my little brother.

"Gaara! What are you doing here?" I asked him, barely being able to contain my excitement. I haven't seen him for over a week, but I can't act too giddy in front of him.

"Grocery shopping, that's what normal people usually come here for. You should be careful Temari."

"Just having some fun."

"Well, I never thought I'd see the day where you go grocery shopping by yourself. Do you need help picking out frozen foods?" Gaara asked teasingly with a smirk.

"I'm not alone, I have a friend with me," I said nodding in Tenten's direction. She walked up to me with an armful of random things and dumped them into the cart. The brunette nodded at Gaara, who returned it with a nod of his own.

"Gaara-chaaaan! I found the Kool-Aid!" A familiar voice yelled from behind me.

"I see you're not alone either, can't keep up with him can you?" I said with a light laugh.

"Gaara-chan-nee-san?" Gaara's boyfriend gasped rather loudly, "Ten-chan! Wow, I didn't expect to see you here!" He tackled the brunette onto the floor in a tight hug. I looked at Gaara, who looked back at me and shrugged.

"Wow, Ten-chan! I haven't seen you in…" He paused to count his fingers, "ten years? I don't know but we were really small then. You've really grown up!"

"I'm surprised you recognized me, Lee. It's been so long! You stopped sending me emails last year," Tenten said with a huge smile on her face as she hit him lightly on the head. Wow, her first genuine smile…I'll have to thank Lee for this! Ah my face is getting red again…

"Small world," I muttered to Gaara, he just smirked as he dropped the Kool-Aid box into the cart.

"So who is she, really?" He asked, looking at me skeptically.

"Like I said, just a friend."

"Hn. You make a cute pair." I gaped at him, trying to force the blush away.

"W-what are y-you trying to imply?" No! I'm stuttering again! Why me?

"Temari, you never stutter or blush. Look what this girl's reduced you too. You can't hide it from me. Lee and I will support you."

"Y-you're kidding…we're j-just friends, you know."

"You're in denial. Go see a doctor," Gaara said unenthusiastically as he pushed the cart away.

So somehow, my brother, his boyfriend, Tenten, and I all ended up here, Ichiraku's world famous ramen. I don't know how it happened but I have a feeling its all Lee's doing. Just sitting in a booth talking about our life. Well, Tenten and Lee anyway. Gaara and I just sat quietly eating our ramen and listening to their conversation. Not that we can really help it, but it's nice to learn a bit more about Tenten.

"What have you been doing lately? Are you going to school?" Lee inquired happily.

"Well, I've just been doing odd jobs. I stopped going to school lately 'cause tuition was getting really troublesome." Tenten sighed, twirling her ramen onto her chopsticks.

"No scholarships?"

"Nah, art schools are all biased," she muttered irritably.

"Art? Oh, right! Wood and metal work?"

"Sculpting, carving, anything really. My current interest is weapon forging though. Nothing lethal, it's just for fun." I stopped in mid-bite. Gaara looked at me briefly before going back to his ramen. Weapons…this can't be just a coincidence can it… At the hospital too, she had so many cuts it couldn't have been a normal accident. No, only my fan could've inflicted that many cuts. The only people that have ever suffered the wrath of my fan would be the Phantom, some very persistent cops, and the Silver Raven. Yeah, years ago, he was the most prominent person on the Wanted: Dead or Alive list. Until my siblings and I took him down. He's been in hiding since. He'll probably be back one day, but honestly, we pretty much forgot about him. I don't even know what he looks like anymore.

"—Boyfriend." Tenten said suddenly, breaking my train of thought. Wait, what? She has a _boyfriend_? Why does that hurt so much? This weird pain always starts when I think about her love life… it's not even my business. So why?

"Yeah, I didn't think I would either? But youth is a mysterious and surprising thing! I wouldn't even _think_ about replacing him. What about you? How is your love life, Ten-chan?" He asked excitedly completely ignoring both Gaara and I. Angry butterflies in my stomach replaced the pounding pain in my chest. I was painfully nervous at what she was going to say next.

"I never had a boyfriend myself. Unlike most girls though, I'm not really excited for one either." I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. Gaara looked at me strangely while Lee and Tenten ignored me. Thank god.

"Maybe you're into girls?" Lee said, smiling at me. I looked at him expectantly.

"Maybe. I'll just wait until it happens. Usually people are too scared of me to approach me with a confession, especially since I don't talk much to strangers. It takes a while to get me talking I guess."

"Same old Tenten," the raven-haired boy laughed, "knowing you, I wouldn't be surprised if you beat up the first person to confess to you."

"Well, I don't know. I hope whoever it will be isn't that weak," the brunette giggled. My heart started beating violently. I don't know what to do. I can't shake the feeling she was implying something. Maybe…she…no, forget it Temari. Don't even think about it.

That night, I got Ino and Sakura to drive me to the bar since both my brothers were busy. It's so inconvenient when you only have one arm… Good news is that my arm should be healed in a week or so. The cuts the Phantom gave me left some scars, but it's fine. Speaking of which, Tenten's cuts disappeared rather quickly… If she was the Phantom, then the damage my fans inflicted shouldn't have faded so fast. Weird. Maybe she's not him after all…

Anyway, I gave Lee the day off and Tenten's to help me behind the bar since she got bored and refused to drink. Heh, I guess she's afraid of embarrassing herself again. Making drinks got a bit clumsy for me, but I got used to it quickly. The night went by pretty smoothly. Until…

"Hey. You there," A mysterious hooded man called to me. There was something really fishy about him…

"What do you want?" I said eyeing him suspiciously.

"Get me that brunette that was with you," he demanded. What could he possibly want with Tenten?

"And if I don't?" That was definitely the wrong thing to say. Next thing I know, I was staring down the barrel of a gun. I raised an eyebrow at him, not intimidated at all.

"Is that supposed to scare me?" I asked mockingly with a smirk. I couldn't see his face, but I could tell he was angry.

"Just bring me the fucking girl if you want to live!"

I yawned and smiled at him. "Yeah, okay. She's in the back." He slowly withdrew the gun, unsure whether or not he could believe me.

"It's just back there," I pointed lazily, propping up my head with my elbow on the counter. The sucker turned around to follow my finger. That was all the time I needed. I used my good arm to support me as I flipped over the counter to deliver a kick at the back of his head. He lost his balance and doubled over. I used my good arm to flip myself over his back and kneed his face before pushing his head down with my good arm, forcing him face-first into the dark tiled floors. The man tried to scramble to his feet again, but I kept him down with my leg. A crowd had gathered around me. Most of them cheered while others headed for the exit.

"You little bitch!" He roared, reaching for his gun. I dug the tip of my steel-toed army-style boots hard into the joint of his arm, causing him to grunt in pain and drop the gun.

"It'll hurt a lot more if you resist. Now tell me, who are you and what do you want with Tenten?" I roughly tore down the man's hood, revealing grey-blue hair tied up in a small ponytail.

"Don't think it's that easy, Temari," He smirked as he suddenly flipped over and socked me in the stomach. I grunted at the impact as he came up from behind me and knocked me onto the floor. He chuckled in a disturbing way as he pined my arms behind my back.

"You're lucky that I'm just a pawn. If I could I would've killed you on the spot. If you try to hide her, you'll die as well. Understand? You can remember me as Kabuto. And don't worry, I'm sure we see each other again very soon." He bent down and whispered in my ear, "Very soon indeed, Midnight Tempest." My eyes were wide with fear and shock. I flipped over to kick him, but he disappeared. Everyone in the bar had left once he started fighting back.

I crawled over to the counter to sit down and rest for a bit while thinking things through. Endless questions flooded into my head, one leading to another. What bothered me the most is how he knew my name and identity. But if what he said was true, that means Tenten is in grave danger. He was pretty damn strong for a pawn. Oh shit! Tenten! I forgot all about her!

I quickly got to my feet and began to look for her. "Tenten, where the hell are you?" I called. I eventually found the brunette huddling under the bar counters. She was trembling rather violently, her eyes wide with fear. I had to be careful so she wouldn't break.

"He's gone," I said gently, slipping under the counters beside her. She immediately clung onto me so tightly it was as if I was her last strand of life. I held her tightly, as if she was my last strand of life. I whispered comforting words into her ear in attempt to stop her from trembling. It only made things worse as she started sobbing into my neck.

"N-no, he'll be back. T-they always c-come back. I- I'm going to die…" she choked, crying even harder.

"I'll protect you, even if they're going to kill me too."

Neither of us said anything after that, just sat in the dark holding onto one another. She eventually fell asleep. Quietly, I called Kankuro to come pick us up. He came within five minutes, looking awfully panicked. I was tempted to tell him what happened, but I don't think Tenten would appreciate it. It was strange, but what I said about protecting her… I really meant it. At first I thought I'd say it just to make her feel better. But after it came out of my mouth, I realized I have never said anything truer. Ugh, this is getting out of hand… growing up as a criminal, my brothers and I have learned to do things only for our own benefits. I've donated a couple dollars but that barely counts. I mean, I have done some good things in life, hooking up Ino and Sakura _was_ my doing after all. But this is big! If anyone else asked me to take a bullet for them, I would probably shoot them myself. Then why would taking a bullet for _her_ make me happy? I'm pretty sure I'm no masochist. Hell, I'm a lot more of a sadist than a masochist. Maybe it is…love? Heh, love… I don't even know what that is. I suppose I'll figure it out later. I just dubbed myself the Knight in Shining Armour. Go me. I guess that gives me more of a thrill in life.

"We're here," Kankuro sighed, cutting my thoughts short. I just nodded in response as I got out of the car.

"Do you need me to help you carry her upstairs?"

"No, I'm fine."

"Well, if you need anything, don't hesitate to call me alright? Gaara and I are always here for you," my brother said small smile and a worried look on his face.

"Don't worry bout me," I said with a smile.

He grinned back at me and sang, "A laundry list of problems doesn't make you interesting, and never asking for help doesn't make your brave. Never listening to reason doesn't mean you have faith. Badada dada, Badada dada, you want it you want it all! (3)"

I just laughed at him before turning around and heading up the stairs. Dying for a belief… Hah, as if.

I tiptoed into my room, the brunette still in my arms. She snuggled closer to me before I could leave.

"Don't leave me here by myself… T-they're going to…" she started sobbing and shaking again. At least it wasn't a repeat of last time. No, don't think like that Temari. She needs you right now! I slipped into the covers beside her, not letting go of her. Tenten continued sobbing but stopped trembling as soon as I wrapped both my arms around her. I couldn't help but notice again how much smaller she was. She was small and vulnerable… strong on the surface, not all the way through (4).

"It's okay, I won't leave your side." I murmured into her hair. I reached up to pull out one of her ribbons, but instead my hand found its way to her cheek. I caressed her tear-streaked cheek softly. She tilted her head back slowly, meeting my gaze.

"I don't know if you're saying this to make me feel better. But even if you are, thank you," the brunette said with a small smile before reaching up and pulling my head down in a gentle but passionate kiss. The two of us fell asleep soon after.

It was one of my most memorable nights, despite it being utter trauma for Tenten. I don't think I'll ever get over the feelings she gave me that night. I'm acting like the lovesick puppy I've seen in both my brothers… would this really be love? Why am I scared to know the answer to that?

* * *

(1) I just can't bring myself to say 'soda'. It's weird for me since I've been saying pop or Coke or something all my life. Maybe I'm just not American enough? Or maybe just too much of a Canadian, eh? 

(2) Welcome. Those Japanese restaurant greetings. I always feel a bit more special when I hear one of those.

(3) Straylight Run's Sympathy for the Martyr. I did skip ahead on the lyrics, but whatever. I just wanted to make Kankuro sing the last part.

(4) I stole that from Linkin Park's Leave Out All the Rest. I thought that line suited Tenten pretty well. I think that song is pretty TemaTen… in a way. From Temari to Tenten I suppose. It'd be pretty one-sided though.

* * *

**Surprise!** I was pretty stuck on this chapter, so I did a bit of drawing. My scanner is pretty much dead right now so I drew on paint! Yay, paint! 

http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/1252/temasketcheo6.jpg

Temari. That was my first one for the story, not too happy with it but it's a decent one. This costume isn't the original either. I did make it up but it wasn't what I originally intended for her to wear. It was more of a spurr of the moment costume. My first copy is a lot better but my scanner is dead... and I do realize it's kinda distorted in some places and it's not very clean. It's just me being tired I guess...

http://img257.imageshack.us/img257/1029/tensketchxq3.jpg

Tenten. She came out a lot smaller and skinnier than I had intended...so it seems kind of off for me. But I think it's pretty cute. Not to mention a hell lot cleaner.

Both of these were actually just supposed to help me kill time... I mean...brainstorm. But yeah so here they are. And no, I don't use DeviantArt.


	7. Muse

**A/N:** Right! Sorry for the wait, everyone. My computer was pretty much pissing me off. But anyway, I'm hoping this chapter isn't too confusing for all of you. But I really felt that I should stop dragging everything along. Then again, I thought this chapter moved too fast... but I thought it was kinda exciting.

**Disclaimer:** Still not rich enough to own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter 7: Muse. 

It's been a month since the traumatizing incident. Both of our wounds had healed pretty thoroughly. My cast came off a couple days ago along with Tenten's. It's a bit of a contrast to my normally quiet life, but it's not bad either. Even though it's only been a month, I've grown accustomed to her companionship. Not to mention her delicious cooking. It feels different to have someone to talk and complain about trivial things. Honestly, I don't ever recall spending hours discussing things like whether the chicken or the egg came first. But even so, when we're together, the atmosphere seems very tense. Well, to me anyway. She seems fine with living with me. Maybe it's just me but she seemed to be making me blush a lot more as the weeks rolled by. Her suggestiveness drove me crazy! I don't know she's playing with me, she wants me, or I just need to clean my mind a lot more.

We've gotten to know each other a bit more over the month. Yeah, only a bit. She's a pretty secretive person, it's like her past was so dark she has to kill anyone who learns anything of it. But I can't say I'm in a rush to share my childhood with her either. The only thing that I've really learned from her is that she really doesn't know her real name, and she doesn't have a last name either. It supposedly says first name: Ten, last name: Ten on her legal documents. She very proudly told me she had forged them herself after her name was given to her by someone she wouldn't tell me the name of. But after a _lot_ of pestering, she finally told me that she doesn't remember anything before the last three years. She told me she remembers certain things but nothing else. She had a look of fear in her eyes when she sad that, but she didn't tell me any more than that.

I've been holding her every night since Kabuto and whoever he worked for was still on the loose and after Tenten. I noticed that when she sleeps, she seems extra vulnerable. She always wants everything closed so the entire room is dark when she sleeps. Even though she acts all tough, I know she's scared. Every night she shivers violently. Just once, at different times everyday. But she stops as soon as I pull her closer. There were some mornings when she wakes up in cold sweat, but she never screams. I wonder if she loved my company as much as I loved hers. In fact, I could say I had even forgotten that she had to leave one day, any day. So just as the two of us got used to all of this, things took a dramatic turn one particular night.

It seemed like a normal night, with the two of us sleeping in each other's arms. The balcony's glass door was closed with the curtains closed. A dark world enclosed around Tenten and I. But sometime around midnight, I awoke to a strong blast of wind. I found it weird since the balcony doors were locked every night. Tenten dove into the blankets, snuggling into my abdomen. A silhouetted figure was perched on the railing of my balcony. I froze of a second, thinking it was Kabuto. But with a closer look I realized Kabuto wasn't as tall.

I felt like I've seen this person before, but all his features were too dark to see. The only thing that was visible in the dark was the silver glint of his hair, highlighted with by the moonlight.

"Tenten," came the stranger's voice. Tenten slowly turned around, a look of recognition on her features. She let go of me, but she kept quiet as if waiting for the stranger to continue. She seemed to know him… That was when I remembered that she wasn't here to stay forever.

"I know _he_ sent someone to look for you. We're trying our best to detect their whereabouts and destroy him and his troops. He knows where we are, but you're the one he's after. You're not safe anywhere right now, but we can protect you better than anyone right now." Tenten sat up, and looked at the man. She turned around and looked at me sadly and shook her head.

"I-I don't want to go, Hake-san…"

"If you care about the safety of you and your companion, you will. He will come for you soon, and the two of you will be greatly outnumbered and completely powerless. But we can protect you, and she will be out of this mess. Kabuto won't be the only one he will send, and I doubt you can face him by yourself either. It's been three years, Tenten… you know you can't run from them again without our help," The figure replied patiently, still perched on the rail of my balcony. Tenten looked down at the blankets, obviously in quite a dilemma.

"Come, I will wait for you on the rooftop of the building across from here." The silhouetted stranger disappeared just like that. His stealth reminded me of someone…someone long forgotten. But whatever, that's not important.

"Hey… don't worry, if they ever treat you badly you can always run here. I promised to protect you and I will. But if he is right about an army, there is so much I can do as an individual…" I whispered gently.

Tenten turned around and hugged me tightly. "Thank you for everything Temari. I know this is sudden but it's for my sake and yours. It's been a lot of fun. I'm sorry I dragged you into this as well, so I'll do this for the sake of your safety," she whispered into my ear, "Don't worry I'll see you soon, you can count on it, though it may be unexpectant." She leaned down, and pressed her lips against mine in a last goodbye kiss. I returned it fully, not sure what to say. I should've told her how I felt, but I was still so unsure. With that, the brunette quickly tied up her hair and jumped out of the bed.

"Goodbye for now," she said with a sad smile. She climbed up onto the railing with her back to me, the moonlight highlighting her every curve. Without a second glace, she pulled something out of her pocket and threw it into the night before jumping after it. I couldn't see what it was.

That was the night she left me. Just like that.

So here I am, sitting in my brother's house five days later, still contemplating on the incident. I feel like I missed a lot of details back there that I shouldn't have overlooked. I'm still confused, all I know is that I really miss her. I hate going back to my own apartment knowing she's not here. I've been sleeping in my old room at Gaara's house for the past two days. But I don't feel any less lonely. I can tell everyone is worried about me, but I don't really care. When Ino and Sakura invited me to the amusement park today, I thought that this would be a good chance to stop thinking about her. But then again, having those two lovebirds together may make things worse. I'll be like a third wheel. Having to watch them make out every five minutes could be enough to make me explode. I know they just want me to cheer up, but I don't know if I can handle it.

"Ah, T-Temari-san, a-are you o-okay?" Hinata stuttered, interrupting my thoughts. She set down a cup of tea in front of me before hiding behind her tray. Just then, I had an idea that just _might_ prevent me from exploding.

"Thanks Hinata. Don't worry about me, I'm fine," I assured her with a smile, "How are you holding up lately?"

"U-um…f-fine. My f-father told me I-I've improved. But," she sighed, "H-Hanabi still has b-better p-potential."

"You're kidding me. She's only what? Fourteen years old?"

"A r-real g-gourmet chef in m-making…"

"I don't know why you try so hard, Hinata. Why don't you focus on something else instead? You can both be skilled in different areas! I know you like making desserts so why not focus there instead?"

"F-father wouldn't a-a-approve…"

"Don't know til' you try, Hinata-chan."

"T-thanks Temari-san, but I'm p-pretty sure he w-won't like it…"

"And you're just gonna let that ruin it for yourself? C'mon Hinata, you can't lie to me. I've seen how your face lights up when Gaara tells you he's craving something sweet."

"A-Ah…! T-that's not t-true…"

"You tell me! Well whatever, let's go have some fun and relax today! Gaara mentioned to me that you haven't had time for fun for a _long_ time." I said with a grin.

"N-now? I-I'm b-busy…"

"Aren't you always? But not today! Gaara isn't even home, so hold on." I took out my cell phone, speed-dialed Gaara and told him Hinata was taking the day off. Without waiting for his consent, I snapped the phone shut and hung up.

"There. You're coming with me to the amusement park today," I said, "See? He doesn't mind. You look like you're getting ready to leave anyway."

"B-but…" the navy-haired girl tried, only to have me drag her out of the house.

"Think of it as a paid vacation okay? If that's what you're getting at, though I doubt you need the money. Whatever the reason is, I don't care. You're coming."

I pulled her into the passenger seat of my sleek red convertible. "I'll hurt you if you try to get out," I said with an over-friendly smile. Hinata shrunk back into her seat, afraid to say anything more.

I raced down the highway at over one-twenty kilometres an hour, enjoying the breeze, sun, and the lovely cloud-filled sky. Hinata looked a bit sick as she hugged her cabbie hat close to her chest. The poor girl… I bet either takes a bus or ride in her daddy's big shiny limousine. I'm thinking that even when she does get a ride, I doubt she's ever gone this fast. I wonder what her reaction will be when she sees her good friend Sakura getting close with the little too-gay-for-her-own-good blonde. Assuming she doesn't know. Not trying to be mean, I hope she really doesn't know. I always love a bit of drama.

"T-Temari-s-san…! P-please, s-slow d-down!" Hinata squeaked from beside me.

"Oh c'mon, let go of yourself a bit more, Hinata. Feel the rush!" I said with a smile. Hinata just whimpered quietly, squeezing her eyes shut.

"Hey, you've been to an amusement park before right?"

Hinata peeked over her puffy black hat and stuttered, "I-I-I h-have…once. B-but I d-don't remember much. I-I was v-very s-small then." Poor thing must've had a pretty stressful childhood. It sounds a bit like mine in a way, maybe a bit bright depending on how you look at it.

Even though I was strictly disciplined, I had my siblings to back me up. Kankurou and I were trained to serve the country. Our father was a very top-ranking general in the army and he obviously wanted us to follow his footsteps. The two of us didn't have a mother around to prevent things from going too far. The two of us had never liked the law but neither of us had the courage to _really_ oppose it. I've always believed that justice can only happen on one side of the story, contradicting itself over and over again along the way. So why bother? But as a kid, both Kankurou and I were brutally punished whenever we fucked up in any way. Neither of us knew why we were being put through eighteen hours of hardcore training everyday, or why we were home-schooled for three hours instead of going to school like everyone else for six hours. We tended to question things, which usually pisses off our daddy even more. Needless to say, our father wasn't a very understanding man. But everything changed when he suddenly brought home a spouse one day. And that's where Gaara comes in. He was the one who made us realize exactly how horrible all this was. We realized that the purpose of all this was to kill. The three of us had watched our father shoot a bullet through the head of Gaara's mother, along with many men who managed to royally fuck up. No we weren't sneaking around, oh hell no, he _made_ us watch. He told us it was just a glimpse of the law. The three of us eventually killed the man with his own gun and fled the country, breaking every law that stands in our way. I was twelve years old then. Kankurou was thirteen and Gaara was nine.

And that's how I ended up like this. I think it's a pretty good lifestyle, really it is. But I highly doubt Hinata's childhood was as brutal as mine. But the Hyuuga family is renown for they're gourmet foods, and being the underdog in a family like that is probably not very pretty. I've seen more burns on Hinata than I've seen on anyone else, yet she never complains to anyone as far as I know. I know how she's been trying to balance school and work. But I also know that she spends more time in the kitchen than in anywhere else. I can just imagine that little Hinata, two years old and struggling to carve a carrot into cute little flowers. She'd be disregarding any cuts she made into her own skin, but sobbing as discreetly as possible at every failed flower. It's not like me, where the only tears I've ever leaked were tears of pain. I didn't give a shit that I missed the bulls-eye by two millimetres with shotgun practice. Or I didn't get a headshot on the pigeon with my rifle. No, of course not. It was all the torturing my father did to us every time we made little fuck-ups like these that made me cry.

Reminiscing suddenly makes me think about Tenten. For the first time, I wonder: How did she become involved with so many dangerous people? I've forced myself to forget about her for the past couple of days. Now thinking back to it, I realized that she was still in danger and I _really_ miss her. Honestly, from the moment she left me, I didn't care anymore. I didn't care if I loved her, all I care about is rediscovering that indescribable feeling I had felt when I held her and kissed her. I just want to find her again, or at least make sure she's safe. I had left Tempest's costume in a hidden compartment that Shika installed into this call, just in case Kabuto or _him_ shows up. Yeah, it's weird how recently I've been thinking so much. Just connecting one thing to another. Usually it's a good thing, a bit of a brain exercise. But now, it's just making me depressed.

"A-Ah…! Is that it?" Hinata asked, pointing to a far-off roller coaster and a Ferris wheel. I snapped my attention back to reality and followed her index finger.

"You bet," I replied with a chuckle, "we're getting closer now."

I noticed her smile getting wider and wider as more of the amusement park came into view. And I just couldn't help but smile myself as well.

Just as I approached the parking lot, I pulled down the hood and rolled up the windows before making a sharp turn and drifted across the sandy lot, dust flying in every direction. Hinata looked at me with a slightly traumatized expression, but slightly amazed as well at how I managed to sneak into a parking space.

"Sorry, just thought that'd look cool," I apologized sheepishly with a slight shrug. Suddenly, a loud coughing was heard outside my window before a hand emerged from the dust-clouds and knocked on my window. Not really caring who it was, I signaled them to wait for the dust to settle.

A couple minutes later, I rolled down the window and came face to face with an angry photographer and an exasperated DJ.

"Oh, it's you," I greeted boredly, getting out of the car. I made my way around the front of the car to open the door for Hinata.

"Hey! Don't 'oh, it's you' me! What the _hell_ was that for?" The blonde cried, following me while yelling at me.

"I-Ino-chan! Calm down, babe, remember why we're here?" Sakura said with a sigh as she wrapper her arms around the blonde's waist, "Sorry, Temari, she's just a bit pissed since Socks accidentally knocked one of her cameras off the table and broke it." She nuzzled her girlfriend affectionately, calming the raging blonde instantly. When she did look up, she lit up immediately at the sight of the navy-haired cook.

"Ah…Hinata!" Sakura said with a smile, "I'm glad you finally decided to take a break." The navy-haired girl just stared at the ground, poking her fingers together.

"Uhm…Sakura-san, I d-didn't know…y-you…" The green-eyed girl looked at her expectantly, suddenly a bit embarrassed.

"Oh, uh, I'm sorry I didn't mention it to you. I think you met Ino at that party about a month back right? Yeah, she's--"

"Saku-chan's love slave!" Ino butt in happily, giving Sakura a lick on the cheek. I coughed and turned away. Hinata's face turned bright red as she suddenly found the ground very interesting.

"D-don't take that the wrong way, Hinata!" Sakura said, laughing sheepishly, "Ino-chan's like that. But yeah, she's my girlfriend and roommate. Since I don't ever recall tell you about my…preferences, please don't resent me for this. I swear to god I was straight until I met this retard here." I nearly laughed at that last part. Sakura was straight? Wow, she's pretty butch though…despite the pink hair.

"Don't call me a retard," Ino whined, clawing Sakura's jacket playfully.

"Uhm…it's okay, Sakura-san. I-I don't mind. A-As l-long as you're h-happy. I'll a-always support y-you like y-you've always s-supported me." That's pretty sweet of Hinata…

"Thanks, Hinata. I'm really grateful," the DJ said with a grin.

"Hey, let's get going before the line-ups starts to form," I said, interrupting their conversation as I started running towards the entrance.

"Hey, don't go without us! I have the tickets, you know!" The blonde's voice rang from behind me. I sighed and turned around to walk backwards, I watched as the three of them try to catch up to me.

It was a clear sunny day today, a typical day for an outing like this. But as nice as all this was, I couldn't enjoy it. I was hopelessly oblivious to everything around me, just barely feeling the rush on the rides. I tried to pay attention to the conversation around me, but I kept zoning out. I listened well enough, but was unable to register the words. Not wanting to make it worse for the others, I just nodded at everything, slipping a couple of words in now and then.

They eventually got tired of it all and decided to take a break at the park's restaurant. So as they chatted idly, I began to turn my attention away from my food, staring out the window blankly instead.

Amusement parks. Parks made for your amusement. A perfect place to tear you away from reality, with all the excitement to prevent you from musing about how much life sucks. I haven't been to one in _years _since my brothers aren't exactly roller coaster people. I should be excited about it all, living up what I've missed in the past couple of years. But even if this place is supposed to prevent you from musing, I do it anyway. I can barely hear anyone talk to me. Just stuck in my mind, wondering things like how I got caught up in all of this. What did I do wrong? Am I really that weak? …Is she dead? Why does it hurt so much? How can she leave just like that? Who was it that took her away? A million things are flooding into my head, one thought leading to another. Just as they had these last five days. I can't concentrate on anything, everything and everyone seems so far away. As I'm on the roller coaster, I'm screaming, but not at the intensity of the roller coaster. Everything just happened so goddamn fast! I feel like a bloody pessimist right now. Maybe I'm PMS-sing, or maybe I'm just plain depressed. Maybe I'm just lonely. This doesn't even concern me, this whole Tenten thing. Well, it _shouldn't_ concern me. But now I'm just thinking about things. Things that have nothing to do with Tenten, like my past. But perhaps her past was similar to mine. I doubt she has parents. Even if she does, they're pretty awful ones. She stayed with me for about two weeks and not a word from them. She didn't try to contact anyone either. It makes me wonder if she's as lonely as I am, maybe even more than that.

Growing up, I've always thought I knew a lot of things, more than other people could know about reality. Just because I grew up in a harsh environment, I've always thought I've seen everything: The truth about the world, the truth about love, and the truth about humans. Everything. Growing up, I've always thought everyone was like my father in one way or another. Especially those who work for the government. I resented Shikamaru for a year once he said he was joining the police force, refusing to have anything to do with him in any way. At that time he already knew about my double life, so I thought he would be just like the rest of them, exposing the Tempest to the light. Knowing full well the Tempest can only survive in the dark. But he proved me wrong by playing double agent, exposing all confidential information to me. Their plans were always backfired, never knowing what hit them. Shika was the first person I've truly trusted. He was also my real friend. He turned my view of the humans upside-down, showing me that I _don't_ know it all. I merely missed out on it all. From then on I learned that not everyone was like my superficial father. Not everyone wanted everyone else dead. But it was still true that everyone was greedy and self-centered in one way or another. But many of us are a lot deeper than that. There's just too much I don't know. Too much I'll never know. But at least my view of society had definitely broadened. But even so, I still try not to get involved with it too much since I still don't trust anyone but Shika (1).

You're probably thinking that I forgot about my two brothers when I said I don't trust anyone but Shika. Which is not true at all, I really don't trust them. I mean, don't get me wrong I love them to death. They're my only family after all. But being raised in the same surrounding as I was, maybe even worse in Gaara's case, it's just like that. I'd love to be able to trust them, but I can't. Because they don't trust me, I can trust them. That's how it's been and that's how it always will be. Being the only female in my family, I've always been looked down upon. My brothers are always protecting me even if they do know my true strength. That's why I learned to do everything myself and not depend on others for anything. And to me, dependence is even worse than trust back then. Basically the same thing depending on how you look at it.

But since Tenten decided to enter my life a little more than two weeks ago, things have changed again. I was the one who felt the need to protect this time. Unlike before, I _wanted_ to be the one she depended on. When Sakura told me I _loved_ her, I was afraid. That was when I realized I didn't have the slightest clue what love was. I've always thought love was doing things for the good of someone else. Just spending time with them and make them happy. I have always thought love was everything my father never gave. I don't even know what _being_ loved felt like, so how can I love? It felt like such a huge responsibility. As if one fuck-up will cost me _everything_. And once she left, I really did feel like I lost everything…even if it was beyond my control. That's when I realized, love was not even close to what I had expected. It was another question without an answer (2).

Thinking back to these two things, I realized the world wasn't as simple as I had imagined either. If I didn't know something as basic as love, how the fuck would I expect myself to understand the whole _world_? C'mon I thought those feelings were stomach cramps for fuck's sakes!

"----ri!" A faraway voice cried with a slap across my face. I forced my attention back down to Earth, coming face to face with an angry blonde. Again.

"What the hell was that?" I spat back, rubbing my cheek.

"Where were you, Temari?" Sakura asked, feeding Ino a fry to calm her down, "We've been here for two hours and you haven't said a single complete sentence since we came here. Don't tell me you're still upset over her…" I said nothing. I knew she was right. Not fully right, but still right. Well…maybe…

"For god's sakes! It's been almost a week! Let her go already?" the blonde said, still very agitated even after the fry. Her expression softened as she continued, "I know it's hard for you since it's only been a week, but at least try to live it up a little. We're at an amusement park! Let's just _try_ to enjoy ourselves."

Just as she said that, we heard a couple of loud screams nearby. The four of us (Hinata is still there) jumped in our seats.

"W-What was that?" the blonde said, clinging onto Sakura.

I jumped a second time as my ringtone suddenly went off. I scrambled through my pockets quickly, looking for my phone. I cursed as I fumbled with it, trying to get it open.

"Temari!" Shika's voice came from the other side, sounding panicked. "I'm detecting the Phantom within a hundred-fifty metre radius from where you are right now. He's moving back and forth like he's in combat. His opponent is unknown, I can't seem to detect his exact location but I know there's someone there. I'm coming over right now, so hang in there. Be careful okay?" My eyes went wide. I bolted out of the restaurant as fast as I could, completely disregarding my friends. I ran as fast as I could to my car so I can change into my costume. Why? So no one gets suspicious of me. I saw a _lot_ of familiar faces back there.

I grabbed the two retractable fans from the hidden compartment and ran. I used one of them to fly back to the restaurant, landing on its dome roof. I didn't even need to look as the crowds started running away from the Ferris wheel. Of all places, he had to be there! I spotted the black-clad Phantom, throwing knives at…Kabuto? What? What the hell is he doing here?

The Phantom flew from one car to another, throwing various weapons with perfect accuracy. Unfortunately, Kabuto was faster than he was, being able to dodge or block every attack. No, wait. He wasn't blocking all of them. A couple of weapons caught him in various places, just to be taken out with ease. His wounds were healing so fast it wouldn't be considered normal. Is he some kind of crazy mutant? In a flash, he jumped up to the Phantom's car, landing a series of _very_ fast punches. So fast, I couldn't even see it from here. All I saw was his opponent responding to it. Before I go and help the Phantom, I took out my phone and called Shikamaru.

"Shika, what do you know of a person named Kabuto. Six feet tall with blue-grey hair and glasses."

"Kabuto Yakushi. I can't seem to access his information… Shit. Well, I've heard his name mentioned once. He has insane healing tactics or something. He must've been some kind of lab rat for an experiment gone wrong. You'll have to do some pretty heavy damage if you want to _scratch_ him. I'm thinking you'll have to do it pretty quick too. This guy's no normal human. By the way, put on the earpiece while I observe everything. I'll inform you of details on Kabuto so keep it on."

Guess I have no choice but to help the Phantom. I'm hating Kabuto's guts more and more by the second. What he's done to Tenten is absolutely unforgivable. That image of her, vulnerable and full of fear under the counter that night at the bar plagued my mind. The more I think about her, shivering in her sleep, the more I felt like I'm losing myself. I can feel the rage taking over me, but I can't control it. I don't care anyway as long as it'll help me defeat him. But I'll cling to that single string of sanity, knowing full well what may happen if I don't.

I quickly climbed up one of my fans, going at full speed. Kabuto continued taking and dodging the Phantom's attacks. I gritted my teeth as I stood up on the fan, throwing the second one like a boomerang, hitting him in the head. He wobbled for a second, enough for the Phantom to get three daggers in him. He just laughed at us maniacally, pulling out the daggers slowly. I doubt I'll see anyone else crazier than this freak-show.

I charged at him on my fan, delivering a blow to his head. He reacted faster than I did and kicked me in the shoulder with a back flip, pushing me further away. The Phantom charged at him as well, and managed to pierce a sabre through his stomach. He regenerated his wounds as soon as the sharp metal left him, leaving not a single scratch. I slashed his back three times with my fan, and kneed him in the crotch. I quickly gathered wind in the palm of my hand and punched him in the stomach, sending him flying another fifty metres up. The Phantom whipped out his board and jumped onto it. He flew up faster than me and knocked him back down with a large metal hammer. Kabuto landed again on the highest car. The Phantom landed with him, impaling two dual-blade katanas into him as well. Kabuto's blood spilled but they disintegrated right after.

I jumped up to join the party, and landed another blow on him with my fan, cutting off his arm. He didn't move, just gave us that crazy smile he's been giving us every time we inflicted damage of any kind. Ugh, crazy motherfucking masochist. As soon as he stood up, all his cuts and wounds disappeared. Then he picked up his arm and connected it back flawlessly. Needless to say, that was absolutely disgusting.

Then he suddenly sent a roundhouse kick for my head, which I surprisingly dodged. The Phantom and I moved back, the Phantom throwing weapons along the way. I sent a couple blasts of air at him, but he took it like a spring breeze. The mutated freak threw a couple needles at us, each coated with a substance of strange neon colours. The two of us barely managed to dodge them. A glowing blue needle whizzed past my ear and got the Phantom in the shoulder. I watched in horror as the cloth around the needle immediately burned off into nothing. Not even ashes. He hunched over for a second to remove it, biting his tongue in pain and trying his hardest to keep quiet.

"Be careful Temari, I'm getting an abnormal reading saying the Phantom's body is behaving strangely. His body temperature is slowly decreasing! Slowly but steadily… he can die within the next couple of hours at this rate. He's slowed it down a lot by removing it quickly, if he didn't he would've died right there. Refrain from as much combat as he can, if he uses up all his energy quickly, he'll pass out. If he faints, then whatever this is may catch on even faster. This is no normal case of hypothermia… I get the feeling that warming him wont cure him, " Shikamaru informed me hurriedly. I cursed under my breath as three more needles flew up at me.

The Phantom shivered slightly, but continued throwing weapons at Kabuto. I charged up some of the weapons with my fan, giving them an extra boost of speed. They managed to hit him, but left no scratch at all. Ten shurikens, twenty kunai (3), five daggers, two maces, four boomerangs, and fifty different cutters of various shapes, and a katana thrown all at once failed to leave a scratch. Kabuto blocked every one of them, but not giving up, the Phantom continued attacking. He turned to me briefly and I nodded.

I whipped up a giant tornado, just like the rooftop battle last time. I threw it into the air, just above us and onto to the car Kabuto was on. The wind encircled him, juggling him within it's angry body. The Phantom flew up on his board, and threw in a couple hundred different sharp objects. We couldn't see what was going on, but we knew we got him, since his blood could be seen spilling and disappearing through the walls of air. Just looking at this made my stomach lurch.

"I can confirm that this is no normal hypothermia on the Phantom's case. He's starting to shiver already right? But he's still able to do such complicated movements with his hands, like throwing all those different objects with perfect accuracy and deadly velocity. His energy level has drained dramatically since that last attack. So watch out for him. Kabuto enabled him to fight somehow so he can die quicker towards the end." I looked over at the man, and sure enough he was shivering even more violently than before, his breathing shallow and quick.

Once the tornado died down, Kabuto had already regenerated. But he was even quicker when he picked up every one of the Phantom's weapons and threw them back at him, two at a time. I quickly dashed out in front of him with my fan, blocking every one of them with my fan. The scary thing was, he managed to throw every one of them before they fell to the ground.

Once all weapons were thrown, he just stopped and smirked at the two of us in a villainous way. I just watched as the Phantom started to pull something out of his pockets. Kabuto pulled something out as well, but I couldn't see what it was from my angle. However, the Phantom _did_ see. He looked scared, inching backwards slowly on the car roof. Kabuto smirked at him and made a _very_ stealthy dash towards him. He punched him again with such speed that it was impossible to even _see_, much less block.

"No escape this time!" the maniac roared, holding what seemed to be a syringe above his head. The Phantom laid still on the car roof where he had been kicked down, as if he was accepting defeat.

I made a short dash towards them before whipping up my fastest whirlwind. It was barely fast enough, but nevertheless managed to reach the two of them in time. The slight impact knocked the syringe out of Kabuto's hand, fazing him for a second. The Phantom grabbed it just in time and injected it halfway before Kabuto reacted and elbowed him hard, sending him flying off the car fifty metres above ground. I went after him, of course. But when I started to take a dive, he summoned up his hover-board.

When I turned around, Kabuto was kneeling on the roof of the car, clutching his head and mumbling incoherent sentences. There was a strange energy coming from him. The closer I got to him, the closer I felt like I couldn't breathe.

"Temari, he's losing more cells than he's regenerating. Act fast or he'll fully heal in no time. Don't get too close to him, everything he's setting off isn't normal," Shika's voice came over the earpiece.

Shit, act fast… I threw my fan at him, only to have it miss somehow. I tried again, but it merely went around him. The Phantom eventually came into view. He threw a number of objects at him but they two missed. A Barrier?

"This is weird. He's emitting strange waves that seemed to sort of bend your weapons. It's getting stronger as he's recovering. It's kinda like psychics. You'll probably have to try melee, I'm pretty sure your wind attacks will just disintegrate. You just need one attack to knock him off balance, and then it should be smooth sailing. But be careful, you're putting your life at a bigger risk than usual."

I gritted my teeth and took a deep breath. The Phantom looked at me, confused. I made a hand signal to stay back. He gave me a nod and moved back a bit on his board. I moved back as well. Then standing on one of the fans still, I boosted with the other as I charged at Kabuto. Just as I got to that car, I jumped off my fan and lunged at him. I felt the air rushing out of my lungs. I held my breath for as long as I could and punched him hard in the stomach. Just as I came in contact with him, I felt all the air rush out of my lungs.

I heard someone call my name through the fuzzy connection of the earpiece, but everything had already blacked out.

My eyes fluttered open to the feeling of cold lips pressed on mine. The air rushed back into my lungs as masked brown eyes slowly opened to meet my own green ones. I gasped for air as I felt those lips leave mine. Since when did breathing get so difficult?

"Y-you saved me," I whispered, unconsciously touching my lips. He nodded, a smile touching his now blue lips. I threw myself at him in a loose hug, but quickly withdrew once I realized how cold he's gotten.

He suddenly grew limp as he fell into my arms. My eyes grew wide as I held him, a familiar feeling coursed through my body as I felt his body against mine for the first time. The softness of it all under the layers of dark clothing shocked me. I looked down and realized the soles of his boots were about five inches thick. Making him just about six feet tall. There was no way one could know that by looking at it from afar, the whole thing was black for god's sakes! But now… I need to know. Curiosity dominating my mind, I reached out and gingerly removed his mask. He couldn't be who I think it is, no way in hell…

Sure enough, a familiar feminine face graced my eyes. Barely distinguishable with her pale complexion and barely breathing…laid Tenten.

I snapped back to reality, remembering her condition. She had used the last of her energy to save me… she's merely unconscious now. But since she's out of it, she couldn't fight the coldness enveloping her body. I panicked. I really did. I mumbled little things of comfort to her, but more so to myself as I picked her up. I flew to my car, carrying her in my arms as fast as I could.

I placed her in the backseat gently and jumped into the drivers seat, fumbling with my keys in panic. Once I initiated the engine, I turned the heater on full blast, hoping it would help at least a little (4).

"Temari," Shika's voice came, "how are you holding up? I see you're in stable condition. I took in Kabuto, in case you're wondering. Sorry I took so long, when you landed that punch the connection died immediately. Took a while to connect again."

"S-Shika! W-we won! I'm okay…"

"What's wrong? You sure don't sound okay. Who's in that car with you?"

"I-It's the…the…the Phantom… she's g-getting worse by the minute. Where are you right now, Shika?"

"A couple hundred metres above you right now. Wait, the Phantom is a '_she_'? You…took off her mask?"

"Yeah… I-I-It's T-Tenten…" I choked, barely being able to contain my tears right now. If anything happened to her now…I really don't know what to do. Being away from her for five days, then meeting her again while she's on the verge of death. Why is everything happening so fast?

"You mean… oh shit…how is her condition right now?"

"I-I don't know… she's really…c-cold."

"Shit…"

"Where's the nearest hospital?"

"'Bout a hundred kilometres up north. There's only one remember? At the far side of the city. But her body temperature is still dropping steadily, and it doesn't show any signs of stopping soon. You have less than an hour before it's terminal. I'm sorry, Temari, it was sooner than I had predicted…"

I cursed loudly as I stepped on the gas pedal. I flew down the highway at maximum speed, switching lanes now and then to avoid collision, but not slowing down for anything. I narrowly avoided a truck as I looked into the rearview mirror to see two patrol cars after me. I didn't care for them a single bit, not slowing down at all for them. I zipped through every red light, nearly causing some collisions as I reentered the city. One car and a motorcycle now, as one of them seemed to have taken a detour.

"Fuck, Temari! What the hell are you trying to do? Kill yourself?" Shikamaru yelled through the earpiece angrily. I quickly turned it off and shifted gears.

Then out of nowhere, the missing patrol car darted out of nowhere. I slammed on my breaks, but skidded right into it. I slammed my head into the steering wheel before the airbags popped up. Damn slow airbags… But completely disregarding the throbbing in my head, I quickly shifted to reverse, slamming into the second police car, nearly hitting an officer. I slammed into the airbags again and swore loudly. Trying not to waste any more time than necessary, I shifted again and tore down the road again.

I got there sooner than expected, at the cost of many traumatized civilians. I quickly took off my costume. Thank god for tinted windows. I blushed as I took off Tenten's as well. I sighed in relief when I saw that she had a T-shirt and shorts on underneath. Very short…shorts…

I picked her up, my skin tingling at the contact of her bare skin.

I burst through the hospital doors, earning bewildered stares from everyone in lobby.

"S-Someone… h-help… she hasn't got a lot of time left…please…" I cried pathetically. People began whispering to each other, and doctors ran around, but no one came for me. Trust me, it took a _lot_ of self-control to keep myself from screaming.

"Oi! What're you all? Deaf or somethin'?" Someone barked from across the room. I swear I could've cried when I saw Tsunade and Shizune walking towards me hurriedly. Shizune and some other nurse quickly placed her on a hospital bed (5) they had pushed out.

"This looks serious…" I heard Tsunade mutter to herself before she followed the nurses into the hallways. I followed them as well, until they came to a room where I wasn't allowed in. I sat by myself outside the room for a couple of minutes before Shizune came out of the room. I jumped out of the seat, desperately needing to know how she was doing.

"How is she?" I asked, grabbing onto her shoulders.

"C-Calm down, Temari-san," the nurse said nervously, trying to loosen my grip. I apologized sheepishly and let go of her.

"I…have no idea. Tsunade seemed very shocked when she examined her. Uhm… for now, let's bandage your head. Did you know you were bleeding?" I placed two fingers on my forehead and flinched. I looked at my fingers, startled to see my own blood. Good thing Kabuto didn't do much damage to me.

Without another word, I followed Shizune into a separate room where she helped me treat my wound.

Fifteen minutes later, I found myself outside another room where Tenten had been moved. Since I was alone out here again, as Shizune went back to Tsunade, I began to think once again.

I had already suspected Tenten to be connected to the Phantom in one way or another, or at least some organization. But I hadn't thought about the possibility of her _being_ the Phantom. That thought scared me a little for some reason. How can that vulnerable Tenten a month ago be the same Phantom that fought me all those nights ago among the rooftops? But even so, that vulnerability I saw in her seemed genuine. Wait… if she's the Phantom that means she lied to me that day in the hospital. When I kissed her for that first time, she told me it was her first kiss. But that can't be true because she kissed me on the first night I met her as the Phantom. Why… why would she do that? Lying about something so trivial, something that I didn't even need to know. What was she thinking? I feel like I don't know anything anymore. Why the fuck is everything moving so fast?

I met her and I fell in love with her, that's something I don't think I can deny anymore. Because she met me, then she left me only to show up again in the must unexpected way. Unexpected… that's… what she said on the night she had left! She told me we'd meet again but it'd be a surprise. Does that mean…she knows who I am? Why would she risk living with me then? Haven't I thought about that before?

Speaking of that night, I suddenly thought back to the stranger that came to pick her up. The silver hair I saw and his stealth… I know they seem familiar, but I can't figure out who it is quite yet. She called him "Hake-san". But that doesn't really ring any bells. Though his stealth and his movements… the way he just flashes from one place to another. It wasn't like Kabuto's dashes, he actually blinks from one place to another. The only person I can think of who could do that was… the Silver Raven! Oh my god! How can I not notice this before? I knew he would come back! But he's siding with the Phantom? Plus he knew where I lived… so why didn't he get his revenge? Hm… Mister Hake huh? With his silver hair…could it be…? I don't even know if he's friend or foe right now. I better watch out just in case. But right now the most important thing is Tenten.

I don't want her to die… Five day's without her and I'm already a wreck. Losing her forever, what will I become? I don't think I can go on.

I wish she let me die back there… Maybe then she wouldn't be in this position right now.

I buried my face in my hands and cried.

* * *

(1) I don't like ShikaTem, I really don't. I never did. Not even when I was into canon. I just hate how Shika gets canon-ed with two hot chicks. So they're friends. Good friends. But if you _were_ into that canon crap anyway you wouldn't be reading this now would you? Well, maybe you have an open mind but whatever. 

(2) Because I don't know what love is either…sob.

(3) What's the plural for kunai?

(4) I'll tell you now that I know nothing of medical conditions and stuff like that. So I'm really just winging it. All I know of hypothermia is that you can die from it… I don't know much about those crazy technology stuff either on Shika's case. So I really am making this up. _Please_ help me point out my mistakes and things like that. I'm fourteen years old for god's sakes so please don't expect it all to be perfect. XD

(5) I'm not sure if there's another name for those beds used to transport patients from one place to another, so I'll just say 'bed' for now. I don't think it's 'stretcher' either… cause from what I saw on TV stretchers don't have wheels. Hahah…

* * *

**A/N:** So here it is! It might be a bit fuzzy and some things may be humanly impossible but hey, it's a fanfic after all. Also, I went and posted my drawings on a Deviant account I made just for this fic...for now anyway. 

http:// xkurocat DOT deviantart DOT com

To check up how I'm doing with story updates you can lookie my LiveJournal page

http://xkurocat DOT livejournal DOT com


	8. Answers

A/N: This wasn't a very good chapter... but it was needed. I tend to get distracted as I get new ideas.

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Chapter 8: Answers

"Hey," someone said waving a tissue at my face. I grunted, burying my face deeper into my knees. I knew who it was. Shikamaru came here shortly after I entered the hospital. I can tell he was absolutely exasperated with how I was behaving. I don't blame him. I know I'm hard to deal with right now, but I just want to be left alone!

"Look Temari, you're a pixie now," Shika said nonchalantly, tearing up the tissue and throwing the pieces on my head. He sighed when I didn't respond and slid into the seat next to me.

"Brighten up. It's not like you to cry over anything. You haven't cried since that time I pushed you into that sandbox in first grade," he chuckled at the sudden reminisce. I remember that. I landed face first with sand in my eyes. That didn't even count as crying since it was the sand that was making my eyes water.

"Don't you think she'd be heartbroken to see you like this?" I lifted my head up and looked at him.

He shrugged. "That's what they say in the movies to console someone."

I guess there's some truth in that. But she can't really see me when she's on the verge of death in the room next to me. Optimism was something I'm not used to. I didn't need to be optimistic, I just kicked ass to get what I wanted. Nothing bad ever happened to me since I killed my father. But even when I was under his confinement, I was never optimistic. No time to think about rainbows and ponies and what tomorrow would bring. I know what tomorrow brought. Sweat, blood, and lack of sleep. I don't consider myself a pessimist either. I just never thought about either. The routine was always the same. When I found freedom, I ruled this city. There was nothing I couldn't get. Whether it was material things or people, nothing.

I've never known loss and regret until Tenten. She was the one thing I wanted most, but also the one thing I couldn't get. I should have made her stay. I should have protected her. I should have told her how I felt. Why hadn't I told her even though I knew she was setting foot into a dangerous world?

I wish I hadn't fell in love with her.

No, I wish I fallen in love with her sooner. I wish I hadn't denied it. I had desperately clung onto stupid things like reason. What was right? What was wrong? I couldn't admit to love because of something so trivial. I didn't believe in love, and I held onto that even when love fell from the sky, beat me up, and sent me to the hospital.

Waging war against the angel who defied God to love me. I couldn't help but smile at that thought.

I suddenly remembered my friends. I left them behind back at the amusement park…

"Hey Shika," I said quietly, "Did you tell Ino and them where I was?"

"No," he replied, leaning back in his chair. I knew he wouldn't. I know it's horrible of me, but I'll just have to make it up to them next time. I'll never be left alone if Ino knew where I was.

Shika and I sat in silence for a long time. Once I heard the door open beside me, I quickly scrambled to my feet, tackling whoever it was that came out of there.

"How is she?" I demanded, crushing a bewildered Tsunade into the wall.

"Wha—oh, Temari," she sighed before pushing me off of her. Damn, this woman is strong. The adrenaline in me had made my hold on her stronger than it was meant to be, but she brushed it away like I just poked her.

"She's unconscious right now. Her body temperature is currently stable, but some parts of her body are for some reason, not able to function. It doesn't seem to be too big of a problem. The head of the surgical department is working on it right now. He should know what he's doing, so I wouldn't worry about that too much. The thing is, even if we manage to get everything back to normal, there is still a fifty percent chance that Tenten will never wake up."

Fifty percent chance. Does that mean she's as good as dead? No, that's just too much… I…I can't think that way. No, I'll have to trust her.

But if she dies, at least she'll be at peace. At least she'll be safe.

But what's going to happen to me?

Without her…what purpose do I have on this planet?

No…I have to force out all this pessimism.

She's going to live. Once she fully recovers, I'll tell her how she feels. If she reciprocates, I'll take her and run. We'll run to Spain and get married. It'll be just us, under the starry skies by the Spanish seas. Then with the help of technology, we'll make a kid or ten. If she's okay with it, we'll have lots of sex to go along with that. But the sex can happen before or after we run to Spain.

"Temari!" snapped the blonde doctor, interrupting my thoughts. "I talk to you in private. Follow me."

I cast a look at Shika, who just shrugged and waved me off. Without another word, I followed Tsunade up to her office.

As I took a seat in front of her clustered desk, I remembered that day. This was where Tenten was when I came in here to return Tonton. I made an ass out of myself that day. It was her fault too, her fault for making me all nervous after the kiss.

"So," Tsunade said, collapsing into the chair across from her. "I guess you know eh?"

"Know what?"

"Her identity." My breath caught in my throat. I had almost forgotten in my state of panic. But I was still a bit fazed that she was my rival. I had realized then how ironic it was that I was the one trying to protect her. After all those attempts to kill her, I blame myself for not being able to protect her.

I nodded sullenly.

"Remember that day you returned Tonton to me? I'm sure you remembered. She was here that day because of you. Tonton running away was purely coincidental. Anyway, she told me to tell you something. In case something happened to her." What the fuck is this? Some sort of sick prophesy? I don't want to hear this… If I do it'll make me even more pessimistic. But what can I do? I _need_ to hear this.

"G-go on…" I squeaked uncertainly. She looked at me sympathetically before continuing.

"First of all, she told me to tell you this because she felt like you should know. Unfortunately, she can't bring up this topic without breaking down. It's a very sensitive topic to her. But I can only tell you so much.

Some three years ago, Tenten came to me to seek refuge. She had managed to escape the man Kabuto worked for. His name is Orochimaru, though he's more commonly known as Snake Eyes. This man used to work here at the hospital. He was a truly gifted doctor, but you know, things change. He and his band of followers hid away somewhere, in hopes of discovering new and bizarre chemicals that can be worth a lot of money and power. Kabuto was his first and most loyal follower, as well as his most trustworthy lab rat. Because of a very successful experiment, Kabuto now has the ability to regenerate cells a thousand times faster than any normal animal.

Tenten on the other hand, wasn't a follower. Originally, she worked under him. She broke into various labs and stole different chemicals for him, in exchange for money and shelter. Since theft is something she was unnaturally gifted at, her job was child's play. She worked for him for five years, since she was eleven years old. But three years ago, she broke free. They had tried things on her though it wasn't part of the agreement. Unfortunately there was no contract that protected her from being a test subject. So Orochimaru tried all sorts of things on her. I believe you've noticed her abnormal stealth? The chemicals inserted into her body had resulted in that among other things. Fortunately only three experiments were completed on her. One of them was speed and stealth. Another heightened her senses, which added to the stealth. The last one was a failed experiment. It reduced her physical strength considerably, rendering her useless in close-ranged combat. Fortunately, she found an alternate way of defense through a friend of mine.

I'm sure you've heard of Hatake Kakashi of the Akatsuki. Well, he's not really part of Akatsuki. He just helps them from time to time so they're on good terms with each other. Anyway, he's been helping her for the past three years. I'm not too sure how they met. But yeah, he's a pretty good fighter if you ask me. Kakashi has an incredible memory. He's memorized every fighting style that's ever existed. He's even combined a lot of them, creating styles of his own. Anyway, he taught her an alternative to close-ranged combat. Long-ranged combat. Though she is too weak to throw something with power, he found a solution for that too. He taught her how to use a type of power called 'chakra'. Apparently it's kind of like a kind strange energy your veins. I'm not familiar with this stuff but according to him, everyone has it."

I thought about it for a minute. That sounds kind of familiar… could it be some sort of equivalent to "qi"? Well if so, then maybe…

"Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if you used it too," she said casually. I jumped at her response to my thoughts. This woman is seriously freaky.

"You see," she continues, "this energy enables Tenten to be able to boost up her throws. It adds power to the weapon as it's being thrown. And though I'm sure you've noticed that she carries close-range weapons like swords, she cannot use them often. The only time she is able to use a sword is while she's dashing. Her arms aren't powerful enough to thrust with a sword or slash it properly. Therefore she must run with it in order to leave a mark. But that form of attack is very risky. If her opponent can stop her then she is a goner. Plus it leaves her vulnerable for a couple seconds.

Tenten had known who you were all along, but she had not expected to be given the chance to get close to you. How she knew or why she took the risk in staying with you, I have absolutely no idea.

So anyway, the reason Orochimaru is after her is because they had found an extraordinary lead in their experiments with her. She told me she overheard this. Apparently, in the experiment that heightened her senses, they had made a wonderful discovery. The chemicals were similar to the effects of ecstasy, but less harmful. I don't even want to know how they found out, but they did. The results of their experiment made her twice as responsive during sex than any normal being." My eyes widened in horror as possibilities flooded into my head. Possibilities on what kind of "experiments" they had done on her.

"They are a pretty sadistic group of people, but that's what I've been told. And because sex sells so well, they hoped to mass produce these chemicals and recreate them so that they are consumable. No doubt these sales will go off the charts once these things are on the market. They were going to conduct more experiments on Tenten, but she managed to escape them, shredding every lab report as well.

So they want her back now so they can rediscover this new sex tool." I cringed slightly at her story. I swear I'll kill those bastards for hurting Tenten like that.

But I couldn't help but think those nasty thoughts about her. Maybe…No! Now's not the time to be daydreaming about her! She's on the verge of death for fuck's sakes!

I rejoined Shikamaru shortly after our conversation. He had bought me a cup of coffee while I was gone. Heh, who said lazy asses can't be thoughtful too? I've been there for about five hours now, just waiting. Shikamaru stayed with me most of the time, he even brought some paperwork along to entertain himself. I feel kind of bad for putting him through this. But hey, I didn't force him to stay. At about 10PM Tsunade kicked us out and told us to get some food before coming back. Well, since we don't have much of a choice, I decided to treat Shika to dinner.

So here we are sitting at some run-of-the-mill restaurant, if you can even call it that. I'm not a cheap person, but it was closest to the hospital so whatever. I can't really tell what they sold here since I couldn't read the menu. I think it's Chinese. Or is it Japanese? I don't know, I can only speak Japanese…

"You should call them," Shika said suddenly, breaking the silence. I stared at him blankly, his words not quite registering into my head.

"You should call them," He repeated with a sigh. I still didn't understand. Who do I need to call? Tsunade? Gaara? Mommy? Wow, I'm so out of it…

"Temari… Ino's worried about you…" I can tell he wanted to bang his head on something very badly. I reached into my trench coat and pulled out my cell phone.

"Yo!" The sound of Ino's voice startled me for some reason. It felt like years since I abandoned them in the amusement park.

"H-Hey…"

"Thank god Temari, you really scared us back there."

"Yeah sorry…" I thought about making up an excuse for it but decided against it, afraid of making things worse. If she asks, then I'll hang up.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"Yeah…this is as good as it gets," I replied with a small chuckle.

"Where are you?"

"Out. I'm having dinner with Shika."

"Ah. Well, I'm always here if you need someone."

"I know."

"Well, I guess I should leave you alone now. Remember: Don't do drugs. Don't hesitate to call Sakura either. Even if we don't understand what you're going through, at least you can feel better after saying it out loud."

"Yes Mother." I smiled and hung up. Shika looked at me with an astonished expression. Yeah, I also thought it was pretty amazing she didn't ask. But if only she knew…

"Would you look at that," Shika said boredly, elbow propping his head up on the table, "that crazy blonde actually knows when to shut up." I smirked at him before we fell back into a thick silence.

That night, I stayed at the hospital. Shika had to leave for an early shift. So it was just me in the darkened hospital room, with Tenten by my side. I really wish she would wake up. I have so many things I want to say to her. I want to tell her…tell her how much I loved her so she wouldn't have to die thinking she was alone in this world.

I reached out and took her smaller hand into mine. The heat had returned to her, so maybe she'll have a higher chance of waking up. I brought her hand to my lips, kissing her knuckles softly.

Maybe if I hadn't been so hesitant in voicing my feelings, things would be different. But no, I was too much of a fucking wimp to say it. What was I afraid of anyway? Rejection? Perhaps but I don't see any reason to. No one's ever rejected me before. But then again, I never had to be the one to say it first. But I guess I was afraid my feelings weren't returned. I was afraid of losing her, because she kept me alive. But now… I just want her to know. Perhaps then she will think back to me whenever she gets lonely. I don't care as long as she's happy. Yeah. She's reduced me into a cheesy romantic.

Then again, if she does reject me, I don't think I can ever love another. Perhaps then I'm destined to be alone. I guess it's alright with me if Tenten is satisfied with it. But she did initiate the first kiss as the Phantom right? Maybe I do have hope… if she ever wakes up.

God, how does everything go downhill so fast? I wish I had stopped her that night. I knew she was in trouble, so why did I let her go? If the two of us got attacked, at least we can suffer together. But no, she's the only one suffering physically now. I can feel myself dying inside as well.

I couldn't take it anymore. I had to let it out. I can't take it anymore. I leaned over and pressed my lips against her unmoving ones. As I brushed a wisp of dark chocolate hair from her face, the first tear fell onto the crisp, clean sheets. I recoiled shakily and hid my face in my hands before collapsing back into my chair. I buried myself in my arms on the edge of her bed, sobbing uncontrollably.

I just sat there and cried. Even when I thought I had finally run out of tears, they came again. This gave me a whole new definition of "breakdown".

Everything happened in such a flurry. I didn't even know how long I cried. I was still crying even as I took her hand in my own. I mentally yelled at myself to stop crying, but that resulted in even more tears. Giving up, I eventually cried myself to sleep.

The morning light illuminated the dim hospital room. I blinked open, rubbing my eyes with my free hand. I looked down at my other hand, which still held Tenten's. My eyes trailed up her body. As I looked at her sleeping face, I smiled sadly.

That was the first day…

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A/N: Yeah, I think I'm going through sort of a semi writer's block. This chapter and my Sasunaru oneshot makes me want to cry at how bad they are. But hopefully it'll get better. Check my LJ for news on updates. Link is in Chapter 7. 


	9. Life

**A/N: Well, it's been two weeks since my last update. I'm slightly ashamed...but I've been doing a bit of reading, as mentioned on my live journal (found in chapter..7 i think and my profile), so my vocabulary is improving. Slowly. This chapter is slightly longer, not by much. I wanted to save some of the drama, so i apologize for the last chapter. It was a pretty big contrast to chapter 7... Okay! No more bs here ON WITH THE STORY!**

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Chapter 9: Life.

Two weeks. It's been two fucking weeks already. I'm getting drearier with each passing moment. I wish I could just cry, but I've been crying for the last two weeks. Any other options have eluded me in my hazy state of mind. Everything's just bottling up inside me now. All my emotions are so overpowering and overwhelming. What can I do? I feel like I've lost everything. The only time I've gotten sleep is when I cry myself beyond exhaustion.

I cannot sleep without seeing her in my dreams. It wouldn't be such a bad thing. Usually. All these dreams are nothing but nightmares. It's always the same thing: the moment I took off the silk black mask on the Phantom's face while she laid in my arms, paralyzed, cold, the fire in her eyes dimming with every breath she took. At the end of every dream it always ends the same. Her once warm body would always lie cold and lifeless in my arms. With her lips chapped and blue, her hair in a messy ponytail, and her chocolate eyes covered by heavy lids, I would slowly release her. I, then, could only watch as her body laid there on top of the Ferris wheel.

Why didn't I save her in my dreams? Perhaps it was because I was too much of a coward to do it. But I had wanted the Phantom dead in the beginning, right? She messed with me first, so she deserved to die.

I never cried in my dreams. The tears always come after.

I cannot eat without thinking what a disgusting individual I am for putting her though this. I can't eat without feeling nauseous or sometimes even regurgitating.

This isn't normal at all. My thoughts no longer make sense to me. Nothing makes sense. I haven't said a word to anyone besides Tsunade. I don't care about anything anymore besides the sleeping beauty before me. I can't help but wonder why she is the one laying there when I am clearly the one to blame. I've given up on wishing…hoping. It's no use. Optimism just makes things worse.

I just want her to wake up and bring me back, because I am no doubt lost in spite of myself.

My head is swimming and my sanity is slipping. Another two weeks and that's it. She's as good as gone. And myself, well, I'm as good as gone as well. There is no telling what I will do if I lose her.

I laid my head down on the crook of my arm, my hand clasped in hers. I unconsciously spread out her fingers gently. Two of my fingers traced down from her thumb and index finger to her wrist. I pressed down on the underside of her arm, looking for a pulse absently. It took me a while to find it, but I did. Though it was very faint, it was a sign that she was still fighting. Every time I found her pulse I was filled with a bit more hope. But…She was the one lying there and yet, I'm the one crying while she wrestles for her life. Ashamed? Yes.

I reached over and downed the cup of coffee sitting at her bedside table.

Turning back to her quickly, I leaned down and kissed the tip of her slightly curled fingers. My mouth hovered above her unmoving hand as I closed my eyes and sighed. What am I doing anyway? What was I expecting? She's not going to wake up anytime soon. But at least she's alive. That's more than enough reason for me to keep living, instead of sitting here and waiting for salvation. But I just can't.

But that's when it happened. I winced in surprise as I felt something scratch my lip ever so slightly. I looked down at her hand, studying it intensely, awaiting any other movement. Then I saw it. Her forefinger twitched again. My breath hitched in my throat.

I stood up abruptly, knocking over my chair, unable to contain my teeming excitement. A tear of joy escaped from the corner of my eye as my heart pounded against my ribcage wildly. I ran out as fast as I could to get Tsunade, nearly running over unexpected patients and nurses.

"She's awake! She's awake!" I screamed repeatedly down the hospital halls. Those who tried to stop me were shoved over roughly. Right now, I wouldn't give a shit if I shoved someone out the fifth floor window.

I broke into the staff lounge and found Tsunade lying across the sofa with her head on Shizune's lap. She lowered her magazine and looked at me expectantly. Shizune looked up from her newspaper and stared at me with an amused expression. I opened my mouth to say something but Tsunade cut me off.

"We know," she said nonchalantly, "I think everyone in the hospital knows what a retard you are." I glared at her and was about to protest, but thought better of it.

Instead, I ran over and pulled the blonde doctor off the couch.

"C'mon! We have to hurry!"

"Aw, give me a break Temari! I _just_ got a chance to relax a bit!" She barked as I dragged her by the leg.

"And I really don't give a shit! You're not getting paid to cuddle with the nurse! You can do that whenever, preferably in your own free time," I retorted irritably. She pulled free of my grasp easily and stood up. Shizune blushed lightly, hiding her face behind the newspaper.

"This better be good," the doctor muttered as I dragged her out the door.

"Doesn't look like anything changed," the blonde doctor stated coolly. She looked over at the monitor again and shook her head. She checked her pulse again but stated it was still very faint.

"No! I'm _telling_ you she _moved_," I said for the tenth time, emphasizing with my hands.

"And I'm not doubting you! I'm telling you it's a pretty normal reaction. It just shows that her nerves are working, which is a good thing. But this doesn't mean she's going to wake up. Sorry, Temari, but the situation is still pretty much the same."

…And that's when I cracked. I broke down completely as hysteria finally grabbed a hold of me.

"No!" I screamed, clutching Tsunade's shoulders and shaking her wildly. "Stop it! This isn't funny anymore!"

"No one said it is, Temari. Just accept the truth okay? You've still got hope," Tsunade replied calmly, brushing me off with her hand.

"No, no, no…!" I cried repeatedly, throwing myself onto the unconscious brunette. "Wake up already, Tenten! This really isn't funny anymore! Stop fucking around with me!"

The blonde doctor peeled me off with the help of Shizune. She held onto me tightly as I sobbed uncontrollably into her white coat.

"Pull yourself together, Temari!" She barked, "Unlike you, Tenten doesn't give up easily! So stop acting like a fucking five-year-old!"

My eyes widened, my heart pounding erratically. All sanity has completely drowned in my own crazy thoughts. My head swam and my thoughts were incoherent. I clutched my head in my hands as I collapsed onto the floor. Everything swirled around me as my head pounded to the wild rhythm of my heart.

"…mari! Get a hold of yourself, Temari! Shit! …Shizune! …Now!" I don't even try to comprehend. I feel the coldness of the hospital floor against my tear-streaked cheek. I didn't have the energy to pull myself up anymore, but that's fine. My tired body relaxed slightly despite the pounding headache. I gave in to my heavy eyelids. One last thought flashed through my mind: I'm sorry I'm not strong enough, Tenten…

And I know…how pathetic I was…through it…all.

Everything blacked out after that.

A bright light erupted from the darkness. What the hell? I'm dead now? I squinted as I made my way closer to the light. At least it's an escape. I don't even remember how long I've been wandering around in the dark. I can see the light getting brighter as I walked closer. A rough wall of white came into view. It looked familiar…like…my ceiling? I blinked my eyes open. The sound of a slamming door echoed through the room. Even the sound of soft footsteps padding across the carpet seemed deafening to me. It must've been paranoia. I couldn't help but be a bit scared. I squeezed my eyes shut out of reflex. Whoever came in sighed heavily, tapping their foot on the floor.

Slowly opening my eyes, a familiar face came into view. It's hard brown eyes immediately softened at the sight of me. It's mouth curved upwards in a slight relieved smile.

"You're finally awake…" His tired voice greeted me, "you're really troublesome you know that?" I just stared at him with a stupid grin on my face.

"Oi… c'mon say something. You've been out for fourteen hours, the least you can do is say a simple hi." The voice sighed again. My eyes widened slightly.

"Fourteen hours?" I croaked. I cringed at the sound of my own hoarse voice.

"You heard me."

"Why are you here then?" I sat up slowly, rubbing my eyes.

"Well _someone_ had to bring you home. Tsunade went crazy when I told her I wasn't going to let you stay at the hospital. But you know, I doubt you can handle staying in there any longer." I blinked.

Suddenly, everything came flooding back to me. Kabuto, Tsunade, my passing out, and, most importantly, Tenten.

"Everything was a dream?" I tried hopefully. He stared at me blankly. "Where's Tenten?" I tried again, fearing his silence. He sighed inwardly before taking a deep breath.

"Well," he started, pulling a chair from behind him, "everything was, in face, reality. Tenten's still in a coma at the hospital." I stared hard at the ceiling, refusing to cry anymore.

"I knew it," I said with a sad smile.

"I think you did the right thing by driving me home," I told Shika with a smile. He smiled back, satisfied with my response. But then he fell into an uneasy silence. He furrowed his brows in thought, as if he was trying to pick the right words to say.

"Promise me," he said seriously, "you'll avoid going to the hospital now?"

"W-What?" My eyes widened in shock, "no way, Shikamaru."

"I'm sorry, Temari, I just think this is better for you. Look, you can call Tsunade if you wanna know how she's doing. But promise me you won't go there anymore."

"And what makes you think this would be better?" I replied hotly.

He sighed exasperatedly and took a deep breath. "Look, I don't want you killing yourself. People are worried about you, you know. I just want you to get your life back on track and stop losing yourself over that girl. It's not your fault she's in there. If you go back, you'll just end up like you did hours ago. I'm sure when she wakes up, she'd want to see the Temari that she fell in love with." My breath caught in my throat at his last statement. I fought the tears threatening to devour me again.

"She - she doesn't love me…" I said quietly.

"Temari! Look at me, Temari," Shika said, grabbing my shoulders forcefully. I looked him in the eye, more tears threatening to fall.

"You're stronger than this, and you know it! I know it, and even she knows it. So quit angsting like a fucking kid, and take it like the mature adult you are! Obviously she wouldn't love you if she saw you like this right now! Hell, even I can't stand you. You act like you _want _to be seen like this when she wakes up. Is that right? You want to be seen like this when she wakes up? Like the messed up wreck you are right now? Like the useless son of a bitch who can't even get up to tie her own shoes? Like the pathetic loser who spends their whole life being emo about their bullshit lives? Like—" I shook under his grasp as I reached up…

And slapped him hard across the face.

"Are you fucking done? What the fuck got into you, you bastard!" I glared at him, kicking him away from me. He held onto the wall for balance as he stared at me with a surprised expression as he held his burning cheek. A heavy silence fell among us. A couple moments later, he suddenly started laughing hysterically.

"I didn't think so," he said as his laughter started to die down. I couldn't help but smile at him. No doubt, he knew me better than anyone. He knew me better than myself, and knew the best ways to kick me back onto my feet. I just can't help but love him for that. I really don't know what to do without the lazy genius.

I stared down at the thin layer of foam on my drink. I moved it around idly. Getting drunk was certainly not something I like to do, _especially_ in my own bar. The Façade was busy as usual. Lee and Gaara had both come down to help me with the bar since I was away for the past three weeks. While I was gone, they had added a new stage to the side of the room. I don't care what they're doing to my bar as long as it's still up and running.

For some reason, Sakura was up there right now on the piano. She's actually got quite a voice. I wouldn't be surprised if she actually becomes famous in the near future. Something tells me that Ino wouldn't be too far behind in her photography career either. Well, at least their future looks bright for them.

As for me, I really don't know. True to my promise, I haven't seen Tenten in a week. Shikamaru was right, as always. I really needed to get my life back on track. But as much as I did, it was no easy task.

A couple nights ago, I tried around the dark streets again. But the enthusiasm wasn't there anymore. In truth, I felt emptier than the starless night sky that night. The freedom of jumping around the city, doing whatever I wish, no longer intrigued me. I knew she wouldn't be around. Without the Phantom, I've lost all motivation to run around the streets. I was almost caught that time because I had lost my footing.

I had realized then that I was still very much exhausted.

My bloodshot eyes were the perfect evidence.

It was almost as if I wasn't _used_ to sleeping. Every time I slip under my own covers, a cold and empty feeling envelops me. While I just lie there, sprawled out across the sheets, I think of her. After spending a whole month being able to hold the loveliest, softest, and the most capable creature of killing me in my sleep, I never want to return to my bedroom alone.

But I have to get over it. I have to learn to move on. It's not up to anybody to decide whether she wakes up or not. It would certainly be a lot easier if it were. Instead, I'm trapped in a constant suspense that's driving me crazy.

I've been calling Tsunade every day to check on Tenten's condition. Her answer is always the same.

"She's still fighting." Then she would hang up immediately. Even though she's sounding more exasperated with me every time I call, I know she's right. I don't think I can make it through the day without hearing these three words. It's because of that, that I'm trying my hardest to live as well.

"Hey beautiful," came a deep male voice beside me. I didn't bother to look at him as he set down his drink and took a seat beside me.

"What's a babe like you doing drinking all alone in a place like this? It ain't safe out here y'know," he continued with a hint of laughter in his voice.

I leaned over and nudged him in the ribs. He just laughed and reached over to ruffle my hair.

"You of all people should know I'm more than capable of fighting back. And seriously Kankurou, please don't do that again. I really don't need my own brother hitting on me right now. That's just weird. I don't think your girlfriend nor Gaara would like that." He pouted, feigning hurt. I couldn't help but laugh at him anyway. He joined in on the laughter as we continued poking fun at each other. It felt good to fool around like this.

"So, I heard about…that girl," he said seriously after the laughter died down completely. I stared down at my untouched beer, trying to avoid his eyes as much as possible.

"Why hadn't you told me about her, Temari?"

"It wasn't important," I said simply with a shrug, my gaze not leaving the yellowish liquid.

"Well it was obviously important for you to nearly kill yourself."

I turned to look at him now. "Who told you?"

"The hospital called us after you passed out. Gaara already knew about you two, even though he said you were in denial at the time." The two of us just looked at each other quietly. I hadn't noticed the dull look in Kankurou's usually bright green eyes.

"I'm sorry I worried you," I said, barely above a whisper. He looked at me in surprise. But he almost immediately smiled. A slow genuine smile, one that all three of us were known for, but very few have actually seen.

"She must be one special girl huh? Looks like someone finally tamed you," he chuckled, "I can't believe you just apologized. She must mean a lot to you."

"More than I cared to notice, unfortunately," I replied sadly.

"Hey, let's make a toast okay?" He offered spontaneously. I blinked confusedly. But was unable to suppress the smile forming on my face.

"To what?"

He thought about it for a while, but raised his glass and replied, "Here's to life, to love, to all the crazy bullshit in between."

"To life, to love, to all the crazy bullshit in between," I echoed, raising my own glass.

The two of us laughed as we gently tapped our glasses together.

A couple of days later, I'm sitting at home reading a magazine. Ino came over, dragging Sakura and Hinata along, to clean up my house. Either she's really bored, or she really hasn't got anything better to do, which virtually means the same thing anyway. Sakura and Hinata don't seem to mind either.

After lecturing endlessly about my physical state, Ino had ordered Hinata to go prepare food while she and Sakura cleaned up everything.

But to be completely honest, I'm very grateful that they came to help out. My house is pretty much a complete mess right now. Out of frustration, I sometimes knocked over things. Most of my books were littered everywhere. There's even some inside the short hallway to my room. And that's all the way across the apartment. See? I even threw things. I was supposed to be putting the magazines back into the little magazine shelf by the couches, but I got distracted.

It felt nice simply relaxing in my apartment, laughing at each other. It was a kind of freedom I had never noticed before.

"Leave me alone, Saku! I'm trying to dust dammit!" Ino laughed as she skipped over Sakura's mop.

"Well, you're in the way," the DJ replied simply.

"I am not! You're just picking on me. I ain't moving so bite me!" A slow seductive grin spread across Sakura's face.

"Is that an invitation?" she asked, moving closer to the giggling blonde.

"No. Go away you whore," Ino said waving the duster at the pink-haired girl playfully. Sakura coughed and held back for a moment, but lunged at the slightly smaller blonde before the dust could even clear.

"Your whore," she corrected, straddling the other girl's hips.

"Then as your master, I command you to get the hell off me. _Now_," the blonde said firmly despite the large grin on her face.

"Are you sure now, _master_?" Sakura teased, her hands traveling up under Ino's shirt.

"Stop it, Sakura." she gave a soft moan in spite of herself. She propped herself up on her elbows and pulled the green-eyed girl closer.

"We can continue this when we don't have an audience okay?" She said in a stage whisper, looking at me out of the corner of her eyes.

"But it's so much hotter this way," Sakura mumbled, pulling the photographer into a heated kiss.

"Cheesecake," the cook said in a singsong voice as she stepped out of the kitchen with a silver tray. The navy-haired girl stopped in her tracks and gave an audible squeak. She took a deep breath and chose to ignore it as she made her way over to coffee table.

"I thought you'd be used to it by now," I said with a smile as I reached for one of the pastries on the tray. They were very small, but very skillfully crafted as well. It looked so delicate, I wasn't sure I wanted to eat it. Though the materials in my kitchen were limited, she was able to pull it off very nicely.

"Try it," she said, her voice filled with nervousness and hopefulness. I reluctantly took bit out of the dessert. Needless to say it was wonderful. It was a Japanese-style cheesecake, and the taste practically melted in my mouth. It was not only amazing, it was one of the best I've ever tasted, despite it being made from the kitchen scrap I possessed.

I opened my mouth to comment on her masterpiece, but before I could, a certain blonde popped out of nowhere and exclaimed, "This is _amazing_, Hinata! Oh my god, this is like…orgasmic heavenliness." Silence fell among us as everyone turned to look at the hyper photographer. She shrugged and continued nibbling happily on her cake.

I shook my head; you just can't help but love the girl.

"So this is your real passion, huh?" Hinata stared at the ground, poking her fingers together nervously.

"You know," I said casually, picking up another cake, "this is way better than any of your dishes. And those dishes usually have the best ingredients too, unlike the junk you had to use from mine. You're obviously more passionate about this too. I can tell you spent a lot of time on the designs. But I'm curious, have you ever shown your father?"

"N-No, I'm a-almost completely s-s-sure he'd d-disapprove."

"Why? I mean, it's virtually the same thing."

"The B-Byakugan, as y-you know, is his f-f-finest r-restaurant, followed b-by other c-chains and f-franchises. H-Have you ever b-been in one, T-Temari?"

"Uh, a couple times. Why?" The Byakugan is the Hyuugas' most famous restaurant. It's an Asian cuisine known throughout the world. They have a franchise in virtually every big city. The Byakugan was the Hyuugas' first restaurant. It started out _many_ decades ago, with only Japanese cuisine, but eventually ended up with mixed Asian styles. They eventually had to sort out all the recipes and open up chain stores to fit them all in.

"H-Have you n-noticed s-something about the d-dessert menu?"

"There's a desert menu?" I asked in surprise.

"E-Exactly. My father hates Western foods. He's a v-very traditional A-Asian m-man. N-None of my relatives dared to d-defy the Hyuuga's tradition of p-perfecting and s-serving only Asian styled cuisine. B-But I think th-there's m-more, n-no one b-brings up this topic in the Hyuuga h-house. Ever."

I thought about that, and one thought came to mind.

"No offence, but that's one big load of bullshit," Ino said, screwing up her face as she voiced my thoughts. I rolled my eyes at her choice of words, but wholly agreed.

"C'mon Hinata, it's the twenty-first century. What can he possibly do?" Hinata looked at me frighteningly before averting her eyes back to the ground.

"No matter what happens," Sakura joined in, "we'll always be behind you."

I nodded in agreement. "You know you'll have to tell him eventually. If you don't, then you'll regret it for the rest of your life."

Regret. The word itself disgusted me beyond anything. It was nothing but a heavy weight. But it was something I must live with now, because even though it's heavy, I was the one who shouldered it in the first place.

Later that evening, we sat around in front of the television. We were watching a movie we had found in my stash while we were cleaning up. Hinata sat beside me on the floor, a bowl of popcorn in her lap. I laid back comfortably on a beanbag chair I had neglected for a while now. Sakura sat up on the sofa above us, with Ino on her lap. Those two were constantly giggling and mumbling to each other, with lots of little kisses in between.

Have I ever mentioned how much I envy those two? I hadn't given it much thought when the first got together. Ever since Tenten came into my life, I had begun to notice them more. The way they interact, the gentle caresses, the soft-spoken words, the loving kisses, and above all, the unconditional love that the two radiated for each other so brilliantly. For a bystander like me, everything seemed perfect. The two of them have been unfaltering for the last few months. I hope it stays this way.

But I really am jealous. For the first time in my life, I'm jealous. Why can't I share the same love they have with Tenten? Why can't I be capable of even more? Deep down, I think that maybe I am capable. But the one person I want to give myself up to isn't here. No, she's a couple miles away in a lone hospital room near the end of a dark hallway. But that's fine. As long as she's recovering steadily, it's fine.

I reach over and grab a small handful of popcorn from Hinata's bowl. She looks at me, and I hold her eyes for a second. Her pale lavender-tinted eyes were blank, as always. But I saw a hint of worry in them. I smiled at her reassuringly, but she returned it uneasily before both of us turned back to the vibrant screen, drowning in our own thoughts.

I miss this, I decided. I leaned back into the beanbag chair and allowed the moment to sink in. I don't ever wanna forget, or lose anyone else. So for the first time in weeks, I'll just enjoy this.

Everything would be so perfect…if I had her in my arms right now.

On a Thursday morning, my life had taken another turn.

My phone rang unexpectedly in the morning. I grumbled, and sank back into my sheets, planning to let the damned machine answer itself. The ringing echoed painfully in my ears. With an exasperated sigh and a colourful string of curses, I rolled out of bed.

"Temari," I spat coldly into the receiver.

"Get your ass down here _now_! Something's happened," the voice at the other end replied sourly. It was Tsunade. Her voice was excited. Or was it panic? I couldn't tell. The possibilities that came from either frightened me. But I hoped with all my heart it wasn't the latter.

Then I realized she had already hung up.

My heart thrashed against my rib cage, so hard I could feel the blood pulsing against my ears. I stood there with the receiver still at my ear, temporarily paralysed by the sudden news. My head spun wildly as I tried to pull myself together.

Once everything dawned on me, I ran into my room as quickly as I could and pulled on a grey sweatshirt.

Locking the door, I quickly jumped from the top of the stairs to the bottom, and sprinted out the door. I flew down to the hospital a second time; the speed was on par to the last time I sped down.

I swerved down the traffic, taking detours to avoid cops. Traumatizing more than enough pedestrians and frightened pets. The cops had failed to show up this time. Even if they did appear, I had no intention of stopping.

I pounded the horn impatiently. The guy in front of me yelled at me from the passenger seat. I yelled back before expertly moving out of the traffic line. I scratched the car behind me, but dismissed it quickly with a curse. I stepped hard on the pedal and made an illegal turn into the other lane, joining the rest of the cars zooming by. The driver of the other car swore loudly at me. I fingered him as I rushed passed on the other side.

My heartbeat quickened and butterflies started to gather in my stomach as I neared the hospital building.

I jumped up the hospital steps, bursting through the door in my sweatshirt and boxers. The people inside looked at me, some gaping at my choice of fashion. The woman at the front desk, whom I recognized from last time, stared at me with a shocked expression, no doubt surprised at my second dramatic appearance. I smiled at her charmingly, stepping in to allow the doors behind me to close. I was satisfied with the small blush on the small woman's cheeks.

I was nervous and scared at the same time, but I didn't let it show. I didn't know what was going on. She could be officially dead now for all I know, but I had learned to trust her to fight her own battles. Tsunade greeted me in the foyer moments later. I took a deep breath, but look into her eyes unfalteringly. The tall woman's face was neutral; I didn't bother to take the time to decipher it either. She beckoned for me to follow with a nod.

This is it.

It's been a month. How I spend the rest of my months depend on this. Nothing, absolutely nothing, can stop me now.

Tenten. Tell me you're okay.

* * *

**A/N: Somewhat filler-y, sorry. But here it is! I've been thinking of starting another AU story (story not oneshot). So I just might start it before I go on with chapter 10. So if you're bored, check my LJ :D You can even leave a comment, that would make me happy XD **


	10. Truth

A/N: Sorry guys, it's been a long time since I updated huh? Well I started working on chapter eleven yesterday. I had COMPLETELY forgotten I had already written chapter ten for the last two months. A pretty sad writer's block, really. Hopefully this all makes sense and I didn't change the plot in chapter eleven.

* * *

Chapter 10: Truth 

The bare hospital walls never looked emptier as I followed Tsunade through the endless maze. The walls seemed barer than the last time I've ventured past them. Then again, Tsunade wasn't so ambiguous last time.

Looks like they moved her, I thought idly. Despite the cool exterior of my usual façade, my heart was threatening to break through my ribcage. This must've been the longest walk of my life. Every beat of my frantic heart tightened the knot in my stomach, sending echoes throughout my insides and out my ears. Never in my life had I experienced such suspense. Then again, never in my life had I experienced something that affected the outcome of my life so much.

We continued through the halls without a single word exchanged. My own breathing seemed so loud, I couldn't think at all. As we approached the room, I saw a small smile playing on the lips of the older woman. Through the large glass pane, I saw Shizune standing above Tenten, her head bent over sorrowfully, and her back towards us. She blocked my view of Tenten, but I didn't mind. I'd never admit it but I'm scared. This couldn't be good.

I stopped at the doorway, my eyes clamped shut.

"Hey." I felt a hand on my shoulder, gently ushering me in. "C'mon Temari, relax." The older woman's voice was almost foreign to me. I didn't understand a word, nor did I even process it.

"And you'd think she'd be happy after such a long time," Tsunade sighed. My ears perked up immediately, the knot transforming into a thousand butterflies in my stomach.

There was a giggle across the room. A tired, awkward giggle. My breath hitched in my throat immediately. My eyes flew open at the sound. To anyone else, she sounded like she had a lemon tucked snugly in her throat. To me, a mermaid's voice couldn't be prettier. Her laughter sent a warm glow within me, easier done than a bottle of vodka.

"Oh God…" I murmured in disbelief.

"I missed you too, Temari," my object of affection said, smiling brightly.

Her shoulder-length, chestnut hair was untied and disheveled, her skin and lips pale. Her eyes were tired, but shone brightly under the hospital light. Her whole body was glowing with happiness and fatigue at the same time after such a hard-earned victory.

I had never seen so much life in her.

I almost cried as I ran to her side. I gathered her in my arms as gently as I could. Unable to help myself, I planted a firm kiss on her chapped lips. I felt Tenten's mouth curl into a smile against my own. The first saltwater droplet slid down my cheek, disappearing beneath my chin, leaving nothing but a light trail.

We broke apart, but stayed close to each other, enjoying each other's warmth.

"Alright, you two. C'mon let's get you out of here, Temari. Tenten's going to need some rest," Tsunade said, lightly tapping me on the shoulder. I turned around to look at her, my hand covering the light evidence of tears. "One more minute, Tsunade. Please," I begged quietly. Tsunade shook her head, but granted my request.

I turned back to the brunette. "God, I can't believe this… I thought I'd never see you again," I said, tears threatening to fall once again. "I've missed you. Just how much, you'll never know. I… There's so much I want to tell you. So much… so much that I'm curious about." She stared at me with half-lidded brown eyes. Despite the obvious fatigue in her appearance, she grinned and motioned me to come closer. Once I was close enough, she gave me a light peck on the lips.

"Sorry, but you can't get rid of me that easily, Temari," she whispered. I helped her under the covers again. Almost as soon as her head hit the pillow, she drifted off into a deep sleep.

I couldn't help but smile at the sight of her. For the first time in a month, I smiled. It felt strange, almost alien to me. But it was almost as if I can feel the life returning into my body, warm with contentment.

I hopped restlessly from what foot to another while I contemplated on what I should do. I had a whole day to kill before I could see her face again. I called Shikamaru, but he was so too busy to entertain me. So I had decided to go for a drive and see where that would take me.

I sped around the city, finally feeling the freedom of the highways for the first time. I rolled my window down to feel the harsh winds. It was a feeling that had eluded me after Tenten's disappearance. It was as if a giant hand combed itself through my hair, messing it up and loosening it from its binds. As if I was running on clouds, slicing through the air at the highest velocity, and flying above the grey of the city smoke.

Before I knew it, I had already returned to the crowded city. The constant honking shook me away from my dreamy state, but irritated me to no end. I zigzagged from one lane to another, and nearly ran into someone at the intersection.

Literally running into. I barely avoided the collision. I recognized the car almost immediately. The rainbow bumper stickers on the windows gave it away instantaneously. It had to be the one and only Yamanaka Ino. But of all people, it had to be Ino? What kind of cliché plotline is this?

"Oh my God, Temari! I can't believe it's you! I haven't seen you for_years_! This calls for a celebration!" she had said excitedly as the two of us stood in the middle of a four-way intersection.

So here we are, in a somewhat secluded ice cream parlour. Ino had called Sakura from her part-time job at a local radio station. She says she's been running around with odd jobs and part-time jobs lately. How this girl finds time for school on top of all that is beyond me.

"You make Sakura sound all invincible," I paused to stir the sugar into my milk tea. "But what about you Ino?"

"What about me?" she asked innocently, her mouth refusing to leave her straw alone.

"Well I don't know. What've you been doing lately?"

"You mean…besides Sakura?" Her wide blue eyes expanded even more in horror.

"Oh come on, Ino. Quit trying to dodge the bullet."

"Well," she took a sip of her Sprite nervously. "I haven't been doing much. Sometimes, I manage to get some free time at night. So when I don't fall asleep on the couch, I go down to the Façade to help Lee out. I've been to a couple of shoots. Some places that desperately needed a picture for an ad at minimum wage, I took those too. Oh, I've started doing a bit of modeling for Uchiha, the older brother of Sasuke. He's the chief designer for Mustela Altaica Nocturnal. It's a pretty successful company so far. The clothes seem to speak for themselves, each seem different from the rest." The blonde took off her hat and handed it to Temari. The brunette examined it curiously.

"Heh, I was wondering about this…"

Ino giggled. "Itachi gave it to me as a gift for helping him out at such short notice." I idly ran her fingers over the fabric. The smoothness of the course-looking patterns surprised me. It looked like a mix between a cabbie hat, a sailor's cap and a beret. _Holy shit,_ I thought to myself as she brushed over the lace-like material. It somehow managed to look uniquely sophisticated, yet casual at the same time.

"You are one lucky bitch," I murmured before handing it back.

"Yeah! The scheduled model couldn't make it last minute. I was there for a little shooting tutorial. I was surprised when Itachi asked me, but even more so when I actually pulled it off!"

The two of us paused momentarily as our orders came. Shortly after, Sakura's white Jeep turned a sharp corner into the parking lot. Ino's face brightened automatically at the sight of her lover tapping the wheel impatiently, waiting for a busy mother to pull out of the parking space.

I kicked Ino under the table, a pout playing playfully on my lips. "I've never seen you this happy around _me_," I complained.

"That's cause you refused to sleep with me when we first met," she threw back, sticking her tongue out at me.

At that moment, Sakura strode into the ice cream parlour. She took of her sunglasses, perching them on top her head. Her hair was tied back in a messy bun. Even the light make-up she wore couldn't hide the dark rings around her eyes. Let me guess: six hours of school, seventeen hours worth of work and a one hour break for rest. Ingenious. I explain to her my hypothesis jokingly.

"Actually it's four hours of school, two hours of Ino, seventeen hours of work, and one hour of rest. But you were close," she replied nonchalantly.

A pang of sympathy and guilt struck me immediately. Poor Ino looked like she saw a ghost just then.

"W-Wha—ooh… why…why didn't you tell me?" Ino sobbed, lunging herself on top of her lover.

"What are you talking about, hun?"

"Y-You've been working so hard…and…and…" The blonde snuggled into Sakura's shoulder.

I sipped my drink, staring out into space. The love between those two radiated brighter than the morning sun. It's the type of unconditional love every female wishes for. It's something people would kill for, to die for, but will never be able to obtain through life or death. Though they're still young, I can understand if they never split up. No one is stupid enough to go back to living under a rock once they've tasted the bittersweet joys of reality.

I smiled at the thought of Tenten. My feelings have done nothing but strengthen over the course of spiritual separation. Though that may be the truth, there's still that major problem. I haven't told her yet. But can I really use something as superficial and hollow as a string of letters? Those three words, so often misused, will they be enough?

"Hey Temari," Ino called, bringing me back to reality, "wanna come over today, Tema?"

I stared at her, my eyes shifting towards Sakura. Ino followed my gaze and laughed.

"I just said I would give Sakura a night off to catch up on some sleep. Jeez, God knows where your head is nowadays. You've been so out of it lately. I think it's a pure miracle that we're sitting here together now." Ino grinned at me.

She still hasn't pressed me on my temporary ascetic. I am, of course, very grateful for that, but it still strikes me as odd. I guess Ino really does have a serious side. Heh, I just don't know her that well I suppose.

"Uh, Sakura-chan, can you get out for a sec?" Ino said with a grin, "little girl's room."

Sakura shrugged, sliding out of the seat quickly. I didn't miss the relieved look she gave me then. Once we were out of earshot, the pink-haired girl started nervously, "I want to ask for your opinion."

I blinked. "About what?"

"Well, I've been thinking about this a lot more often as Ino and I have been spending a lot more time together—" she stopped and smiled "—I knew the reason for your disappearance had something regarding a certain brunette. I'm sure even Ino knew, who else would you do the same for? I know you care for her very much, so what would you do if you lose her?"

My jaw tightened at the thought. I knew well enough what would happen if Tenten disappeared from my life. I turned away to divert my attention from Sakura's inquiring eyes. She giggled softly at my reaction.

"You see? That's what I thought!" Her wide puppy-dog eyes penetrated through me. "I can't lose her, Temari. I know what a promiscuous person she was. Or is. I mean, I rarely have time for her now, I can't help it if old habits die hard."

Her eyes were glued to the table. It had never even occurred to me that Ino might be still sleeping around. Though, I'm almost certain that's not true.

"After your brilliant deduction last time, Sakura, I expected more from you," I said with a chuckle. "You're quite oblivious for such a smart person. Ino moved in with you am I right?"

"Yeah…" she replied quietly.

"That should tell you something. But if you're still not convince, I can tell you, as a witness from the third party, that you're the only one that makes her happy. People like me can't get that kind of happy from her. Even on her gloomiest days, she seems to brighten up just by the mere sight of you."

Sakura smiled briefly, but suddenly found the table very interesting again. Her pink hair fell over her face, but her blush hadn't escaped me. "Thanks Temari. But I think I still want to…you know to ensure that she doesn't stray…do you think it'd be a good idea if…if… I a-ask her to m-marry me?"

My eyes widened. That was very unexpected.

"But Sakura, you're only twenty!"

"I'll be twenty-one in a couple of months…"

"But I mean, are you ready to take this step? You still have your career to consider, you know. What about school? You can't just throw everything away now. Even if you're willing, are you sure Ino will be?"

"I…I don't know. Maybe you're right. But…but I just don't…"

"Don't what?" A familiar voice asked curiously. Jesus, even I didn't see her come back. Sakura's head snapped up, smiling nervously at the blonde.

"I uh…don't—"

"Sakura, here, was just saying how she doesn't like the fact that you've been gone for so long," I lied with a smirk.

"Aw, I missed you too Sakura-chan! You can come with me next time okay?" Ino laughed before jumping onto her lover's lap. Sakura mouthed a quick thank you. I could only laugh at the irony of it all.

I suppose beneath the perfect exterior of this perfect couple, there are still little defects that can be pretty ugly if mishandled.

* * *

"Well, it looks like you'll be outta here soon," I said with a smile as I wheeled Tenten through the courtyard. 

"I still need those physical therapy sessions though," she replied. I laughed, pushing her towards a nearby bench in front of a bed of purple pansies.

"Well, you don't _have_ to take them. That is, if you want to be a vegetable all your life." I quickly helped her onto the bench before taking a seat beside her.

"If I do," she said with a sly smile, "would you take care of me then?" I blushed, unsure of how to answer. She had caught me off-guard with that question. I took a minute to ponder.

"C'mon Temari, it's not rocket science. Would you?" The brunette asked with a giggle.

"Of course," I replied confidently. I wasn't sure if that was the right choice, but I'm willing to take risks.

"Hey, where are you going to go after you leave this place?"

"I don't know," she replied thoughtfully. "It depends if Hatake-san is willing to come get me."

"If he isn't?"

"I'll manage."

"Don't tell me you're gonna…"

"It's not a problem for me. I've raided the streets for the last twenty-one years, I'll just do what I do best," Tenten laughed despite the lack of humour in the atmosphere. I got up and kneeled in front of her, looking her seriously in the eyes.

"There's no way I'm going to let you be a homeless thief again. It's dangerous out there. You and I both know Orochimaru will get you killed. No, first the experiments, then death." She turned away to avoid my eyes.

"You're going to come back and stay with me, alright? We can stay at my brother's house. It's safer that way."

"Even after you found out my real identity, Temari? I can kill you in your sleep, you know."

"Would you? Go ahead if you think that will keep you safe. I'd kill myself in order to protect you, Tenten." She sniffled quietly, fidgeting with her shirt.

"W-Why?" she murmured, "trust me, I'm not worth the trouble…"

"Of course you are. Because," I smiled gently brushing away a single teardrop, "you're very special to me."

Her large brown eyes widened, a small blush tinting her cheeks.

"I've heard a couple things from Tsunade. But it doesn't feel like enough. I'm curious, tell me more about yourself," I said trying to initiate conversation again.

She looked doubtful for a second, but smiled. "Only if you tell me about yourself first."

"Fair enough," I laughed. "I grew up in a faraway desert country with my two brothers. Kankurou is my older blood brother, and Gaara was brought in later. His mother was our father's mistress, but we had no problem getting along. Our father was a respected general in the army so, naturally, he wanted us to follow his footsteps. He put us through hard labour each day with virtually no time for schoolwork. Needless to say, none of us liked him very much. But because we had so little knowledge of the real world, we merely accepted this. Gaara was brought in after his mother's death when he was four years old. It's kind of funny to think back and realize he, as young as he may be, was our salvation. We killed our father without regret and fled to various cities. We settled here a couple years ago after some very successful heists. Yeah, both my brothers used to be thieves as well. Kankurou was God's Marionette and Gaara's Satan's Hellcat. But none of us really had a permanent name. Yeah, that's about my whole life story."

"Well, um, mine's less…exciting," replied Tenten unsurely. "I…don't know who my parents were. I don't even remember how I ended up on the streets. I must've been abandoned. But I coped pretty well. I've never had enough money for school so I never went. I didn't think it'd be important anyway. I thought my life would just be the same day after day, stealing from the rich and fleeing from the poor. You just can't trust anyone on the streets. But Orochimaru found me when I was eleven. He gave me decent shelter. It was a basement room in the townhouse where some of the employees stayed. A grey room with a tiny adjoined bathroom, a single bed, and a tiny stove. It wasn't much but it was enough for me. Tsunade must've told you already, but I did help him steal chemicals. Hey paid me enough for food and I was satisfied. Unfortunately I was oblivious to his original plan. He must've waited until I physically matured a bit more before carrying out his plan. As you can see, I don't have much to be especially proud of, but he did it anyway. It was…horrible. I managed to escape thanks to his experiments. I had originally intended to take the reports with me to turn into the police, but he had me surrounded so I had no choice but to shred it.

"It was raining heavily that day, so I had run into an old factory for shelter and refuge. Unfortunately, I had no idea the Akatsuki was there at the time. I was almost shot for witnessing something I was not supposed to. Fortunately, Orochimaru's henchmen came at that time and it was then that the Akatsuki saved me. Saying that the Akatsuki hated Orochimaru would be an understatement. So after that, they put me in Hatake-san's care. He taught me how to fend for myself and gave me a temporary home at Tsunade's apartment. Tsunade was reluctant at first but agreed. But that was only when Shizune had been away dealing with family affairs. After Shizune came back, Hatake-san took me in for a while. But then he started seeing a cop that was on investigating him, so I had to leave. I stayed with various Akatsuki members after that. One night I saw you on TV saying you stole a city treasure. It was then that I had declared you my rival, tracking you down after your every heist. I tried to gather as much information as I could about your identity.

"I found out where your brother lived, thinking you would be there as well. I was going to enter through the upstairs window, but then I noticed all the cars. Unfortunately, I had become distracted and crashed into the tree in your backyard. I ripped my costume in the process and when I noticed Ino's clothes there, I went in and changed. When I ran into you down the stairs, I was so nervous. I didn't recognize you at all, but you gave off this kind of vibe. I was a bit dazed after narrowly escaping Ino, that's why I was kind of…out of it. I ran up and fixed my board before flying back. But when I saw you in the hospital, I knew automatically who you were. I thought it was a miracle that you would appear right in front of me. I thought maybe, I would be able to get tips out of you, knowing how rich you were. After all, I admired you a lot!

"But then Hatake-san came to me and told me that Orochimaru was still looking for me… and my current landlord refused to let me live there for the tiny, virtually nonexistent to him, fee I was paying him. So I was once again homeless, but things were more difficult knowing Orochimaru wanted me back for more experiments. Fortunately, I was in the hospital, so I was safe for the time being. I had not expected that you would let me freeload at your house. That was, no doubt, the best thing that's ever happened to me. So thank you." She took a deep breath and smiled at me.

"Of course life was difficult, but yours wasn't easy either, am I right?" I reached over and held her cold hands between my own warmer ones.

"Well, life wouldn't be worth living if everything was easy," I replied thoughtfully.

"I agree."

"But," she said quietly with a hint of sadness as she withdrew her hands, "now that you know all this… I'm pretty sure that you w—"

"—Will still love to take you in," I finished off quickly, silencing the brunette immediately, "Sorry, Tenten, but I'm just not going to let you live like that anymore. You've had your share of excitement and danger in your life. But I mean, you can still have your excitement, but I think it's time you skate on thicker ice."

"I can't afford to live in a place like yours, Temari," she mumbled sadly.

"Of course you can, it's free after all. You've already had a taste of it, do you not like my apartment?" I inquired with a slight frown. "If you don't, I'll do whatever I can to find a place to your liking."

"No," she said with a shake of her head, "that's not what I mean. I refuse to freeload anymore. It's the lowest anyone can get! To me… to me even begging for money is better than freeloading. At least you're making the effort!"

Her bright brown eyes were hard and determined. I found myself lost beneath its depth immediately. I knew I had to come up with something, or else she'll have to be exposed to the dangers of the streets again. I'd go great lengths to prevent that from happening. Taking one of her cold hands into my own again, I smiled warmly.

"How about this," I started, taking one of her cold hands into my own again. "I'll let you stay at my apartment in exchange for something."

"What?"

"As you know, Gaara has Hinata and Lee, and Kankurou has his girlfriend to take care of him. So… I'm the only one living all by my lonesome, having to fend for myself, with only enough time for instant noodles. It wouldn't be freeloading if you were doing something for me in exchange, correct?"

"Um…I suppose so."

"Then in order for you to stay, you must cook, clean, and anything else I order you to. Don't worry I won't be too harsh. So what do you say?"

Tenten's eyes widened. "I don't really understand it, but okay. That sounds fair… I think."

"Good! I'm glad you think so."

I sighed with relief. I don't know what I would do if that didn't work. How can someone so cute be so hardheaded sometimes? Of course, I had no intention of throwing chores at the poor girl. But if that starts to drive her away, I suppose I'll have to tell her the truth. Probably something like, "I'msorryIdidn'ttellyousoonerbutIloveyoupleasedon'tleaveIreallyreallyneedyou."

Yeah, that's gonna go well. Fucking pathetic, I'd say.

* * *

A/N: Like I said, I forgot I had written chapter ten so I had to cut off a lot in order for chapter eleven to make sense. Jeez I had been so busy trying to end this, I...yeah. Well, R&R x3 


	11. No Turning Back

**A/N: **YES I'VE FINALLY FINISHED THIS CHAPTER! And from here on, things start to get exciting :D Unfortunately, this is not the last chapter, and I doubt the next one would be. But just bear with me, it will be over soon xD I had originally planned to have this up before my birthday, but I guess I was a couple weeks late. But it's all good now!

* * *

Chapter 11 : No Turning Back! 

It's already been two months after the recovery of my beloved. Though that was true, I have yet to confess my feelings to her. It should've been done ages ago, but as I'm sure you've known by now, words of such sweet affection wasn't exactly part of my everyday vocabulary. And I highly doubt a "fuck you" would be appreciated, even if that were what I have come to consider as "words of sweet affection". But if I really do try that, I really don't think she'd catch the literal meaning. But anyway, I have tried many times to tell her, but my self-esteem just brings me down. If it's my ego that's slowing me down, then I'm no better than an average man. Therefore, I am truly undeserving of her sugar-sweet love.

But today was different. I had planned to give it my all and tell her. I'll shower her as much love as I could muster, even if it was unwanted. I'd do whatever it takes to make up for my cowardice. But it was barely 6AM on this particular Saturday morning when a blasted beeping woke me up. The angry crimson glare of my alarm clock confirmed this as I reached into my bedside table. I shifted around, trying not to wake Tenten, who was sleeping soundly beside me (We went back to sharing a bed because I filled up my spare room with junk, not on purpose of course. Although I really did miss the feeling of her smaller body curled up beside me at night. You can only imagine how ecstatic I was when she agreed to my suggestion).

The emergency communication device Shika had given me flashed an assortment of colourful signals. This must've been important or else he would've used the phone. I quickly slipped out of the bed and escaped to the living room with the device, gently closing the bedroom door behind me. I put on the wireless headset provided and switched the device on.

"Took you long enough," Shika's voice rang through the headset, followed by the crackling of static. "Sorry the connection isn't the best, but I had no other way of getting in touch with you. Someone's managed to hack into the system and stole just about all the data. I suggest you don't use the phone today if you want to keep your conversation private."

"What the—I thought your security stuff was flawless, Shikamaru. Shit, that's not good. Doesn't that mean…"

"They know where you are. They know where _she_ is. In fact, they know_exactly_ where she is. I don't know who did this, but I'm going to guess it has to do with Orochimaru."

"When did you find out about this?"

"Right before I called you. Your Tenten may be in danger."

"By the sound of this situation…I'm hoping with every fucking thing I've got that you're wrong," I sighed heavily into the headset. After a moment of silence, I hesitantly inquired, "What do you think we should do?"

"For once, I don't know. You better prepare yourself for combat at any time if you want to protect her. I hope you've still got that gun."

I fell silent again, horrible memories of my father's pistol flooded back. It had been the same pistol I had shot him with. I kept it with me when I fled with my siblings. Ever since I moved out on my own, I kept it in a box, planning to never look at it again.

Shika disconnected shortly after, leaving me alone to my thoughts in the heavy silence. I wasn't sure what would be the right thing to do at the moment. At this point, it was useless to think I can protect her on my own. Then it came to me. Running into the junk room, I dug up the old velvet box. Taking out the neglected pistol, I weighed it tentatively in my hand. It was heavier than I remembered. I took a seat on one of the many boxes and proceeded to polish it. I pulled the slide, the familiar snap sending a chill down my spine. I stared down at my finger, how it curled around the trigger. I can only shake my head and laugh as I remembered the determination on our faces as we loaded up this same pistol, the intent to kill swallowing us up. I pointed the barrel to my head as I tried to reenact the scene. I tried to remember the look of fear in my father's eyes. I tried to remember how easy it had been for us to pull the trigger that night. I don't remember ever being so fervent with hate. But that was many years ago. Now, I can only laugh at what we did without caring whether or not it was the right thing to do. But I am human after all, and there are times where that little pang of guilt starts to torment me. Of course, I get over it soon enough and try not to look back on it.

"What are you doing?" came a sleepy voice at the doorway. I looked up from the now shiny pistol at the ex-master thief who still holds my heart captivated. The brunette was clad in only a long black T-shirt as she leaned against the doorway, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. It's one hell of a fucking miracle I've managed to suppress my _needs_ for the last two months. Although, I must admit, there were times I had to duck into the washroom for a while.

"What's that?" She asked curiously as I quickly tucked the pistol back into its case.

"A pistol." Her hazel eyes met my own green ones. "You're in danger," I said simply, holding my gaze. Looking down at the black velvet case I held in my hand, I explained to her what Shikamaru told me this morning. Her eyes flickered for a second, fear masked by courage.

My eyes softened as I got up and pulled her into the living room. I sat her down on the nearest armchair. Kneeling in front of her, I said, "We can't stay here."

She looked away, "I can leave if you want. I don't want to get you involved."

"It's dangerous out there, I'm not going to let you fend for yourself," I took her hand in my own as I explained myself, "Tsunade told me. I can't let them have you."

Silence stretched between us. Tenten turned to look at me in the eye, searching for the truth deep inside of me. "Why are you doing this, Temari?" she demanded, "I know I'm no better than a filthy street rat. You know that better than anyone else. I've tried to kill you countless times, for god's sakes! I can fend for myself; I've been doing it for so long. I can tell you now, that there is no reward in defending me. Maybe a slash at the throat by one of Orochimaru's men, but that's all you're going to get. It really would be best if—"

"No," I cut in, "I'd gladly pay with my life if it's going to save you from those perverted freaks of nature."

"I can't stay here forever."

"Even if that were true, I won't let you leave now. Come on, I think it'd be safer if we moved to Gaara's house. I can't protect you alone no matter how hard I try. I can probably get Shika to stay with us, or maybe even Kankurou, for extra security measures." Tenten fell silent again.

"I don't get it," she whispered, "Why are you doing this? I'm not worth the trouble. Really, I can handle myself if you don't want me around anymore."

Frustrated, I grabbed her shoulders and looked into her surprised brown eyes. "There's nothing _to_get, Tenten. You're worth all the trouble in the world. I can't let you leave my side, especially now. You..." I took a deep breath, "You are the most precious thing to me in the world. I love you more than anything. I don't need anything from you, just a chance for me to keep you safe and love you for everything I'm worth."

Her widened eyes glittered with unshed tears. Afraid I had frightened her, I released her immediately. I mumbled a quick apology, my face burning. I was unprepared when she wrapped her arms around my neck, giggling into my ear. I gave a dreamy sigh at the sound of her musical laughter.

"Temari," she paused as she pulled back to gaze into my confused eyes, "I've waited too long…" I instinctively closed my eyes as our lips met. To me, it was my first real kiss despite all the other kisses. I tried my hardest to pour all the passion and love I felt towards her into this single kiss. For us, this wasn't a simple lip lock. We savoured it as if it was our last, yet treasured it as if it was our first. This one kiss left both of us breathless and wanting, the look in her eyes was almost unbearable.

"We…don't have a lot of time…we can't do it here," I mumbled. She pulled me back down for a second kiss. Unlike the first one, this one was charged with teeming lust.

"…If we're being watched, we'll give them a show they'll never forget," the brunette said breathily, her voice husky with need. Unable to control myself any longer, I pulled the recliner on the armchair, causing Tenten to jump at the sudden movement. I quickly crawled on top of her, our lips meeting once again in a passionate kiss.

My hand crept all the way down the length of her body, fingertip outlining her frame through the T-shirt. I was enjoying the feeling of her body arching into mine. Tsunade wasn't lying when she said the brunette was sensitive. I smirked when I reached the end of the long cotton barrier. I kept one hand on her hip, the other stroking her exposed thigh. She whimpered into the kiss and wrapped her arm around my neck, pulling herself closer to me. My hand ducked under her shirt, dragging the thin material with it as it traveled upwards. She quivered; I felt her face start to burn.

I quickly ended the fevered kisses and pulled her shirt over her head, leaving her vulnerable before me. Her nipples stiffened once the material was off. My breath hitched in my throat as I pulled back to take in every part of her naked body.

"Beautiful," I said with a smile. Her face flushed as she tried to shrink back into the cold leather couch.

I lowered my head and tentatively licked a taut coffee-coloured nipple. I knew she was sensitive, but I was caught off guard when she jumped. She gave a loud moan, crushing her chest against my open mouth. I cupped her neglected breast with my free hand and massaged it slowly so it wouldn't feel so neglected.

"Temari…"she murmured between pants, "this is embarrassing…."

I only smiled as I flicked my tongue over a few more times. She was starting to shake as I took her other breast into my mouth.

"I-I…can't…" I gently bit down, ignoring her remark. She came suddenly, riding a wave of ecstasy as she arched into my mouth. I held her closely, making sure she doesn't hurt herself. She twitched violently in my arms during the aftermath, but was determined to go further. Not wanting to wear her out so quickly, I moved south. I left a wet trail as I went over and memorize every dip and curve of her front. She was more delicate than a glass rose and had to be handled carefully. I kept traveling downwards, only to stop at her wet center. She nodded and squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the contact. I was more nervous then I had ever been at this moment. I wasn't sure if I would hurt her by giving into my own needs. Slowly, I inched forward. Spreading her sex with two fingers, I gave her swollen bundle of nerves an experimental lick. I pinned her legs down as she sprang up, clutching my shoulders. She gave a loud cry and came right into my mouth. I went berserk once I swallowed the hot juices. She tasted like a drug that clung to you with the slightest drop. Sweeter than anything I've tasted before, I couldn't help myself. Truly addicted, I attacked her once more. But I had barely gotten my well-deserved share of her when she came one last time, screaming my name in a way that could've made me come. Her fingernails dug deep into my back through my thin dress shirt, completely taken by the wave. She shook violently and I held her once more while she rode through the orgasm. Before long, her small body fell limp against me. I pulled back slightly and brushed away the stray hair that stuck to her damp forehead. I was not truly satisfied knowing I haven't truly claimed her yet. But it was to be expected because we were both aware of her limitations.

"Te…Temari…" Tenten whispered quietly through half-lidded eyes. I smiled at her and gently picked her up, carrying her back into the bedroom. As I tucked her in, she whispered my name again. I shushed her, urging her to sleep.

"I love you, Tema," she said with a tired smile. I could've cried right there, but I knew better. "I love you too, dork," I replied, knowing full well she was already asleep. I smiled at her angelic sleeping face. It displayed a serene carelessness I've never seen before.

On any normal occasion, I would've jumped right into the bed and spend my whole day just lying with her, but I haven't forgotten yet. I stared out my balcony window thinking, _they could be anywhere right now_. I shook my head and glanced at my clock. 9AM. I had a lot of time left over to prepare for the move. I tried to plan out things as carefully as I could while I took a quick shower.

Options were quite limited at the moment. Aside from Shikamaru and my siblings, there was no one else that can help me. If I could locate Hatake, it might be easier. But the safest thing for us right now is to leave. Like I had told Tenten earlier, I have no doubt that Gaara's place is the safest place to be. I was familiar with all the security devices and I highly doubt Orochimaru knows about it. If he does find us, Gaara and I will have no choice but to take them down.

The communication device thing beeped again while I was making myself breakfast. Turning off the stove right away, I grabbed the device off the coffee table and quickly put the headset on.

"Shika."

"Hey, Temari. I managed to get a hold of our satellite again. Its kind of, I don't know, broken right now. But at least I got this piece of shit to stop exploding in my ear every time I call you. And look! The static's all gone."

"How did you manage to get it back in such a short time?"

"The sad bastards were still messing with the satellite towers by the time I got there. I had to punch their lights out to get them off the thing. I did, in fact, get our tower back, except those guys badly demolished the dish. At the moment it's beyond repairs, but at least I got it back. In case you're wondering, I'm pretty sure they're Orochimaru's men. They all wear the same dopey uniform."

"So that means we're not being tracked anymore?"

"Well…In a way. They can't track your every move, but they know where you are. One of the guys messing with the thing managed to get away with your tracker data. From what I could see, that was the only thing they took. Although, all the other stuff is lost."

"What do you mean…my tracker data…?"

"It means they can access every place you've been to for the last month. You're lucky I clean out all my junk every month, or else they would know every place you've been to since the day I built this thing. Which is what? Three to four years ago?"

"Well this can't be good."

"What do you plan to do?"

"Running isn't an option anymore, now is it?"

"You can't hermit forever."

"Then I'm going to stick with my original plan and take refuge in Gaara's house."

"But they know where that is."

"If what you said was true, then we have nothing to worry about. I haven't been to Gaara's house since the week Tenten left the hospital. And even if they find us, Gaara and I will fight him off. We did take down Hatake once upon a time."

"I guess anything will have to do in a situation like this."

"Unfortunately. Hey Shika, do you think you can stay with us as well? Since the tracking radar thing's gone and all."

"I guess I can stay there when I don't have work. I can't guarantee anything though."

"It's alright, thanks anyway. I can try contacting Kankurou as well."

"Well, don't use the phone alright? Just as a safety precaution. I suggest you leave your apartment as soon as possible, before he starts stalking you."

"Yeah, I will."

"Then I'm going to go back to work, call me on this heap of junk if you need anything."

"Thanks Shika." I sighed heavily as I hung up.

I returned to the kitchen and quickly finished my breakfast. After getting changed, I returned to the junk room and tried to scavenge any old weapons I had lying around. I slipped the pistol in its holster along with my fans. It would be more than risky to use my fans without my costume, but I had little choice. Then it struck me how rusty I must be with the metal fans. It's been forever since I've used them. So while I waited for Tenten to wake up, I moved aside a couple of boxes and practiced some old moves.

I had inherited the skill of building up chakra from my father. And I could not tell you how refreshing it was to feel the adrenaline surge through my entire body as I swiped the air with my twin weapons. The boxes around me shrank back into the corners with ever whip of air. I was so carried away I didn't even hear the soft footsteps padding towards the room. I nearly fell backwards when a single projectile whizzed past the tip of my nose. Eyes wide with surprise, I looked towards the thrower in my awkward bent-back position. Seeing Tenten smirk at me from the doorway, I immediately dropped my fans and allowed myself to fall on my back.

Barely half a second later, the brunette was perched on my body, hands pressing gently into my body and legs straddling my waist. I looked at her warily, not realizing how tired I was until now. She giggled and reached over to pick up whatever she had thrown. It was only later that I realized she had made a conspicuous dent in one of my boxes.

"What the fuck was that?" I asked with a raised brow. She only laughed and waved the object in question in my face.

I stared dumbly at the chopstick she held before attempting to grab it from her. She didn't stop laughing but wouldn't let go of the wooden utensil. I growled playfully and pulled her whole arm with her, my lips meeting with hers halfway. She made a surprised squeak, but kissed me back fully. Soon the chopstick was forgotten as she dropped it and wrapped her arms around my neck. I levered my upper body up with my arm to purposely deepen the kiss. I felt her tongue make its way into my mouth as I readily granted access. Once I felt it between my teeth, I gently bit down, causing her to pull back in surprise. She gave a small yelp as I gently pushed her back, grabbing the chopstick in process and making a run for it.

"That was mean, Temari!" I heard her say with that alluring laugh of hers. I heard her footsteps charge at me, and knowing her speed, I knew I didn't have anywhere to go. I quickly tossed the chopstick onto the kitchen counter and spun around, just in time to catch an armful of speeding brunette. The two of us fell onto the soft cushions of my couch, laughing away with a sense of ease I knew couldn't last. But for the next hour, we did nothing but lie here, together.

"If we don't get up now, we'll never get to Gaara's today," I spoke softly, unconsciously stroking her hair.

"But you're warm," she whined playfully. I knew she was still a bit sleepy, but I also knew that the longer we stay here, the more dangerous it's going to be.

"C'mon, let's go get changed."

"Can't we just go like this?"

I laughed. "Look at us, Tenten. I'm wearing a see-through dress shirt with only my underwear on. And you don't even _have_ your underwear on." I proved my point further by lifting up the edge of her shirt, and briefly exposing her naked skin before she slapped my hand and pulling her shirt back down. "Plus, you still smell like sex."

Her lips curled into a wicked smile, "Care to freshen the smell?"

As tempting as that was, I only laughed and ruffled her hair before pushing her off of me. She stuck her tongue out at me, only to have me dive in and take it with my own.

"Go take a shower, we need to get out of here as soon as possible. I'll get you a towel after I change. She smiled innocently before I retreated into my bedroom.

Needless to say, I took a bit longer giving her the towel than intended, but we _eventually_ got out of the house.

Since neither of us ate this morning due to our…distractions, we decided to stop by a restaurant closer to Gaara's house and have our brunch there. That got me so paranoid it was beyond nerve-wracking. We got out of there as soon as I finished my waffles and packed up Tenten's pancakes. She wasn't too pleased, but I couldn't help it. Every look I got made me want to whip out my pistol. _That_ was how paranoid I was. And despite Tenten's soothing words, I still tenser than ever.

It was when we got to Gaara's house that I truly relaxed. Unfortunately, he was out for a bit so we had to wait in the car for him to return. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, barely listening to the music on the radio, while Tenten sat beside me cutely finished up her pancakes beside me. I smiled as she struggled to cut them into smaller pieces with only her fork. She pouted when the soft breakfast cake fell from her plastic for the third time in a row. I couldn't help but laugh as I took the fork from her hand and gently scooped up the mangled syrup-soaked flour before feeding it to her. She looked like an ecstatic chipmunk while she was chewing. In fact, it was so cute, that once she finished chewing, I couldn't help but lean over and finish off my services with a kiss. She tasted like maple syrup, yet still uniquely like her. I licked her lips clean and was rewarded with a pleased noise from her.

That night seemed to have come faster than usual. Gaara gave Hinata a week off in case of danger. If the girl even lost _half_ a piece of hair, Hiashi would sue us until we're back in Suna with nothing but a sandcastle for a home. Yes, the Hyuugas were that powerful. Even we can't do anything, besides probably assassination, if he has the ability to manipulate law. Kankurou dropped by later that night for me to give him a heads-up. He agreed to help us but wasn't able to stay in the house all the time. Shikamaru, always the quick thinker, gave him one of those annoying communication devices. He gave Gaara one too, just in case. I was moved speechless that everyone was willing go so far for me. Kankurou claimed it's because we're siblings. To my surprise, Gaara seconded the claim, agreeing without hesitation.

"Take good care of her, a'right?" Kankurou said to Tenten. "She may seem like she's all that, but trust me, she's a teddy bear." I slapped him on the arm playfully, demanding for him to take that back.

"So I've noticed," Tenten replied with a giggle.

* * *

The days went by peacefully, but it, of course, wasn't meant to last. One night, after nearly a week of staying at Gaara's, something disrupted the tranquility. We were sleeping away as usually when Tenten suddenly sat up in the middle of the night. I rubbed my eyes sleepily, gently urging her back to bed. She clasped a hand on my mouth, silencing me. It was then that I knew that something wasn't right. A faint hissing sounded by the window. It was so faint, I could've sworn I was just hearing things. But her hand laid still on my mouth, neither of us daring to move. My heart sounded in my ears. I was scared and I knew she was too. It would be illogical to doubt her senses as they had been artificially heightened and was capable of picking up the scarcest things. But I had heard something too, as delusional as it may have seemed. I slowly started inching over for the communicator but stopped, frozen in mid-reach, as a slow clapping sounded through the still night air. As the clapping became closer, so did the hissing. Tenten whimpered and sank into the pillow. I gathered her in my arms quickly in an effort to comfort her.

"So this is where you were hiding, Tenten," came a voice through the shadows, "Or should I say, Subject 1010. This is what happens when one loses something in return for something better, am I right?" A hideously pale man stepped out from the shadows, a nasty smirk etched on his face.

"O-Orochimaru," Tenten whispered, clinging to me for dear life.

"You're coming back with me, tonight. If you come willingly, maybe I'll spare that piece of shit you've got there." I gritted my teeth as he advanced closer.

"Don't you dare, you bastard," I barked.

"Or you'll what? I know who you are, bitch. You're that big-shot thief, Midnight Tempest. You don't scare me. Just Kabuto can snap your puny body in half. I have no need to be involved with you myself."

I knew that once the battle has begun, there was no turning back. It was a life or death situation now, and one of us had to die. And I'll make damn sure it's Orochimaru and his dogs. "Tenten," I whispered, my eyes fixed on the hissing bastard, "I love you. And I'm going to get rid of him for you once and for all." I didn't give her time to register my words. I jumped over and pressed the button on the communicator before throwing it past his head, missing his ear by a centimetre. It distracted him for less than a second, but that was all the time I needed to make my escape. I whipped out my fan, grabbed Tenten, broke through the patio's glass, and fled into the night. It wasn't that easy, of course. He was right on my tail. But from here on, the real battle begins. It's not gonna be pretty, but at least there's more space out here. Tenten was dazed, but recovered sooner than I thought.

This was it. The real thing. The real battle. And fucking hell, I'd better win.

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**A/N:** Remember to leave a message :D I kind of noticed not many people have read this far. But to those of you who did, I truly hope it was worth your while xD Thank you all, so far! And remember to leave a review. 


	12. The End

A/N: FINALLY! I powernapped for three hours just so I could fuel myself on chocolate milk to finish this. This chapter...well I thought it was an alright chapter. When I started it, I thought, "Ah, shit I really should continue right? But I _know_ I'm just gonna stump myself." And stump myself I did. But I finished! For the hell I've gone through to finish this, I'm really hoping to get some good reviews :D

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Chapter 12: The End

True to their words, neither Gaara nor Shikamaru had backed out on me. I was touched, of course, but there wasn't much time to prolong the moment. According to our plan, Gaara came out to received Tenten. She was safer with him anyway. However, I was well aware that the snake-like dog was still hot on my tail, flying on some sort of board similar to Tenten's. That must've been where she stole it from. I tried to outrun him on my fan, but even with the upgrades Shika did to it, I was still considerably slower. Gaara's meeting point was only a couple more blocks away, if I don't lose him by then, Gaara will be involved with Orochimaru as well.

Tenten clung to me with her life, and I knew what I had to do. I couldn't let her down. The consequences were much too big, and the stakes at hand… If I were to lose this...well, I don't even want to think about it. She was too vulnerable to fight him with me. And besides, he knew all of her weak and strong points.

"Temari!" Came a voice over the headset that I had completely forgotten about. "Temari, can you read me?" Shikamaru said again, followed by jolts of static. I wanted to respond, but found myself too paranoid to. Orochimaru was starting to close in.

"If you can hear me, press the button on the grip. But hold on--" I ignored Shika, desperate to try to get out of this as fast as I can. He was closing in fast and Tenten was too horrified to move. She held onto my shirt tightly, wrenching my heart in the process as she did so. Without listening to the last part of his instructions, I quickly found the button and stepped on it. Suddenly, the fan beneath my feet gained an abnormal burst of speed, the velocity nearly throwing the two of us off. I clung to the edge of my fan, my body laying flat on it, shielding Tenten beneath me to protect her from the stinging wind. I dared not look back, afraid I would lose control. My only means of turning the damned thing was shifting my weight onto one side or the other. I barely managed to whizz past the large buildings.

"What the fuck, Shika! You nearly fucking killed both of us!" I yelled through the headset once I was sure Orochimaru was out of hearing range.

"I warned you."

"How the hell did you do that?"

"I installed a special something in the handle just before you left. Don't worry though, because it'll only work a couple times. Resources were a bit low."

"Still…we could've slammed into a building and died!"

"You're the one who ignored me." I scowled at his comment, but it quickly turned into a relieved smile as I spotted a made out a dark figure on the roof of our meeting point. I sped towards it as fast as I could, but abruptly stopped when I saw a second figure come up. I flew a little bit closer. The first figure stood at the edge of the building, its movements giving me the impression it was confused. That must've been Gaara.

In a state of panic as the second shadow crept towards my brother, I let out a loud cry before I could stop myself. I had given myself away to Orochimaru, I knew that much, but right now it doesn't matter. Gaara spun around and knocked him square in the jaw. Beneath the thin streak of moonlight, I caught a glimpse of the other figure's face. Kabuto. I knew I couldn't stay here. Tenten blanched in my arms, slowly releasing her grip on me. I held her tighter so she didn't fall off. I made a turn around one of the larger buildings, taking a moment to think of our next move.

"Not to worry, Kabuto's no match for Gaara. None of us will let any harm come to you. And if we make it though this alive--"

"D-don't say if… I know you will. You have to promise me you'll stay alive, even if we're about to lose. I'd rather be chained away then watch you die. You've got a great future, Temari… I'm… I'm just a homeless--"

"Homeless? Don't give me that, Tenten. Really now, what do you want me to do to prove myself to you," I said with a smile. "Alright, I'll promise you. But only if you promise me one thing in return."

"What's that?" She asked, looking up at me with her puppy-like eyes.

"I know this isn't the most romantic setting, up here in the sky with a mad scientist chasing us. And I really don't have anything prepared. But Tenten, if you don't mind me too much, stay with me. Stay with me forever. I promise I'll do anything for you, whether it's within my limitations or not. Anything as long as you're happy. I'll get us a new house, and shape it till it's a dream come true. Tenten, will you marry me?" I said with all the sincerity I had in me. I looked down at her almost pleadingly. She gasped.

She pulled me down, her lips meeting mine in a warm kiss that lit a fire to my very soul. "Do you really have to ask?"

"Then it's a deal?" I said with a playful smile.

"It's a deal."

We flew together wordlessly for a while. The comfortable feeling gave me a sense of completion I had never expected. But reality came down as fast as it had left. The sound of faraway gunshots rang clear in my ears, and our mission suddenly dawned on me once again.

"Shikamaru, where's Kankurou?" I asked through clenched teeth. My heart was beating erratically in my chest, and my eyes flew from side to side in uncontrollable paranoia. Tenten looked up at me, half fearfully and half worriedly. She tried to calm me down by easing the length of my arm in soft strokes. I couldn't help but smile down at her. And despite both of our fears, she managed to return one with twice the brilliance.

"He says he's on his way."

"T-Temari…" Tenten interrupted before I could open my mouth to respond to Shika.

"Yes, hun?" I replied, looking down at her briefly.

"Take me to the alley behind the Façade." I gaped at her. But before I could ask her why, Orochimaru appeared next to us. He ran a long tongue along the length of a katana equal to the length of two arm spans. Tenten shrieked. I grabbed her and collapsed to the ground just in time to avoid an unexpected swipe. Wasting no time, I quickly pressed the button to accelerate. I grabbed on tightly, but it wasn't long before I realised we weren't going anywhere.

"Hand her over now, and maybe I'll spare the two of you," He said with a sadistic grin on his face. There he stood with his board atop of mine, hooking it in place beneath it. I quickly pulled out my smaller fan and tried to strike him, but he dodged with ease and landed a blow at my shoulder. I swore loudly and stepped on the button, knowing full well it would be futile at the moment. I pulled Tenten behind me and faced the bastard with my foot on the accelerator. He thrusted the thin blade of his katana forward, and I could've sworn I was looking into the hungry mouth of a python. I bent over backwards, pulling Tenten down with me, and stared wide eyed at the sharp metal only centimetres above my face. In the seconds he took to retract his blade, I pushed myself up with my good arm and kicked him in the shoulder. He grabbed my ankle in reflex, but stumbled backwards with the force of the impact and, because his arm was still held out, I pushed my entire body off the ground with my other arm, ignoring the burning pain surging through my arm as I did so. I kneed him in the face as I came up, with enough power for him to flinch and let go of my ankle. He took a step back, but the nasty smile on his face didn't waver. I was still in midair after the impact. I did a flip and landed on my fan, flipping his board up in the process. The moment I did, the large iron fan sped off, causing me to lose my balance. I slid off and clung to the edge of the hilt with my wounded arm. I grimaced, gritting my teeth as I tried to pull myself up. Tenten loomed over with a panicked look on her face and quickly pulled me up. I regained control of my fan just as we were about to crash.

The Façade wasn't too far off. We arrived in less than ten minutes on its rooftop. I folded up my fan once we landed and followed Tenten as she jumped down to the alley. "Why are we here?" I inquired, feeling just a little bit safer in the shadows.

"The Phantom lives here," she replied simply. "All her stuff is here." I looked at her in puzzlement. She turned around and enveloped me in a tight embrace before checking the damage on my shoulder. She looked at me with wavering hazel eyes that melted me on the spot. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

"You shouldn't be. I'm not. You know I love you."

She smiled. "Yeah. That's why I'm not going to let you fight alone." With that, she disappeared into the shadows, out of my viewing range. I looked around. This little area was all I was familiar with. I didn't know how long this alley ran. Whenever I came out here it was to throw away garbage or sometimes have a smoke. To think, she's been _living_ here for god knows how long. I'm guessing three years? I've had this place since I dropped out of high school in my grade eleven year, that's about five years. The brunette returned soon after with a roll of white bandage in hand. She was fully adorned in the outfit I had first seen her in. The mask, the hat, the boots, everything. My heart jumped, unprepared to see my former enemy.

"Don't worry, these are clean. I took them from the hospital, I suppose stealing has always been a bad habit of mine," she said in her normal voice, adding a bit of a humoresque effect to her appearance. "Let me help you, I've been doing this for a long time so I know how to do it quickly and effectively." She pulled off my shirt and bandaged my arm without a hint of playfulness. When she was done, she took a step back to admire her handiwork. I closed in the space she had created and captured her lips in a passionate kiss just as she was off-guard. She gave a small mewl of surprise, but returned it heatedly.

"You see?" she whispered looking at my arm worriedly. "Look what I've dragged you into… Please, Temari, let me fight alongside you."

"T-Tenten… No. You can't. I don't want to lose you. You're the reason I'm fighting, and I'm not going to make such a risky move."

"But, Temari! I don't want to lose you either! Please… if something happens to you, what will I do? You can't defeat him yourself, even you should know that! And what about our promise?"

I shook my head and wrapped my arms around her, feeling just a bit strange to have her matching my height. "Don't make this more difficult than it already is. Kankurou is on his way. For you, I will do this alone. It's because he knows all your weak points that makes it so risky."

Her lips pressed into a thin line, tears threatening to fall any moment. Suddenly, the sound of a revved up engine shot through the still night air. The two of us held our breaths, holding each other tightly as we waited for it to pass. But the sound drew closer and closer still. A motorcycle. As quickly as it came, the sound stopped. The atmosphere was abnormally quiet. But over in the distance, muffled shouting could be heard.

The clouds had descended tonight and most civilians thought it safer to stay inside instead of driving in the thick blurs. I thought it would be a bit of an advantage for us, but also a disadvantage as well. Through the fog's denseness, I could only barely make out a couple of flickering silhouettes. The only thing I figured I could do was grit my teeth and wait. I couldn't tell for sure, but I knew for a fact that Kankurou loved his bikes. And if I'm not mistaken…

"TEMARI!!" The sound of my brother's voice burst through the thick clouds and emanated throughout the area, ricocheting off the walls, through my head, sending echoes and shivers through my body. The figures in the fog danced around in no particular rhythm, colliding with one another once in a while. Then a gunshot sounded, followed by two consecutive shots after a short interval. My eyes widened. He must've been the reason why I had heard the first gunshot, although it was much further.

"Temari!" He repeated, "RUN!!"

If the gang after Kankurou knew where Tenten and I were, they gave no indication of it. But we didn't have time to question it either. I was about to grab Tenten when I caught a glimpse of her disappear on the roof. I cursed and ran after her. Goddamn, I hope she wasn't heading towards Kankurou… It's not that I don't like her wild streak, but this is getting a bit much.

I rushed after her as quickly as I could, but I knew I was too late when she immersed herself into the thick blanket of fog. I ducked in after her, but my vision was beyond limited. I cursed when I suddenly heard the sound of another gunshot. As I drew closer towards it, I made out several silhouetted figures flickering in the dense greyness. The clashing sound of metal against metal gradually became louder.

Suddenly, I stopped. My ears perked up as a light patter of footsteps began encircling me in a broken tempo. I heard the clicking of guns and I knew I had been found. Closing my eyes, I mentally pictured the men around me with their guns drawn. Because they were just a couple of thugs, really, I had to make a very rough estimation of where they stood. My next move had to be planned out carefully, because, with my fans, blocking this many bullets proved difficult even at my skill level. Slowly opening my eyes, I scanned the area through carefully. Sure enough, I caught small glimpse of a Tenten-shaped panda.

Of course, if this was planned out, it'd be much easier. But right now I wasn't even sure if she saw me or not. So the best thing to do in this situation was to follow my gut instinct, unfortunately. I took a deep breath and jumped.

I grabbed my two smaller weapons as I prepared myself for the shower of bullets. Taking advantage of the slow reloading time of their pistols, I drew my much larger flying fan and hopped on it. Between each interval, I had even managed to initiate a couple attacks of my own. Just as I had thought, with each swipe of my smaller fans, I cleared a bit of the fog, albeit a very, very small bit and only for a while before it regenerated itself. But with their guns, I was too busy defending to accomplish anything.

After much struggle I finally managed to accelerate and fly far enough to avoid the gunshots.

Then without warning, a figure leapt up and took a seat on my fan. I froze as I felt the cool metal against the side of my head. A click. I smirked as I pictured the stranger's smug grin. Before he could even lay a finger on the trigger, I swept around and, grabbing him by the head, leapt off the craft. Landing on an adjacent building, I slammed the man's head through the roof, ensuring an instant death. I cringed a bit. Even though I've seen it and caused it more than enough times in my life, it just wasn't something I could get used to sometimes.

Observing on the rooftop, I peered through the density of the fog, but couldn't see a thing. I jumped down and perched on a thin ledge three storey down. It was just enough for me to make out the familiar wavering silhouettes of the rookie thugs. I could see Kankurou with his old blades jumping around, since it was the only shadow I recognised. I spread my arms and made my way across the length of the building as I travelled flat against the wall. My eyes widened as I continued watching the battle below. And from the way he was moving, I could tell Kankurou was getting sick of the idle damage he managed to inflict with ever bullet dodged. The gunshots were going off like crazy, and my brother, he was going berserk. And don't get me wrong, because I've seen this happen more than enough times to understand the intensity of his power. But right now there isn't a worse time to unleash it. I have no doubt that at least eighty per cent of the thugs on the field will never see daylight again, but, _Goddammit_, Tenten is down there too!

Basically, what happens when Kankurou goes into this trance, he attacks anyone he senses around him. It doesn't matter who it is, because at that point, he wouldn't know. I've suffered a couple of attacks from this before and it _hurt_! It's actually a very risky way to fight because the pain he undertakes while he's slashing away like a madman doesn't register until he snaps out of it. So, skipping all the gruesome details of the scene afterwards, he passes out. Honestly, I have no idea how he's trained himself to do it without killing himself afterwards. I guess it has the same general factors as sleepwalking. But, hey, if people can have sex in their sleep, I don't see why people can't go crazy and brawl against a hundred or so people at once.

Seeing his shadow slashing and stabbing so many people so mindlessly, it made me just a bit nervous as I stood on the ledge. I was more than ready to jump in and, once again, play knight in shining armour and rescued the, soon-to-be, distressed maiden from the dragon that is my brother. But just as I was about to push myself off the red-bricked wall behind me, I saw a figure leaping out of the fray, clinging onto the edge of the roof in gasping breaths. My head snapped around at the sound of the familiar panting. That sounds just a bit creepy, yes, but it's been etched into my brain since the first time we did it. And pleasure and pain sounds a bit similar to me… Fuck, okay no more nonsensical thoughts. I twisted around and moved along the wall, going as quickly as my feet could carry me safely. Jumping off the ledge, I landed on the flat rooftop with all the grace of a cat. Quickly running to her side, I grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her up.

I thanked every deity I could think of at the moment for my correct hunch. Tenten straddled my hip with her hands on my stomach, breathing heavily in her Phantom costume. She suffered some minor cuts, but nothing much else. She looked up at me through her mask, her chocolate eyes softening. I pushed myself up to a sitting position and took both her hands in mine. It felt strange being so close Tenten's alter ego, the one I grew to respect and despise, completely different from the petite brunette I adored. Lifting up the silken black mask, I couldn't suppress the smile forming at my lips despite our situation. She leaned in and kissed me fully on the lips, bringing me back to the first time she had done that as the Phantom.

"You scared the living hell out of me," I murmured into her lips. She pulled back and looked at me with an almost panicked look on her face.

"K-kankurou," she said nervously, "I got there just in time to save him from a point-blank. But I guess he could've saved himself, huh? He's scary when he's mad. He _very_ narrowly missed me." She pointed to a thin line of red on her right cheek. I looked at it briefly and sighed in relief.

"You were really lucky, babe. If you had been any closer, I would've been forced to kill my own brother for permanently marring your face," I said with a slightly sheepish smile. "He must've been really pissed off for him to put himself into berserker mode."

Tenten shook her head. "He tried to dodge a bullet, but it grazed the bandana around his neck."

"Ah, the bandana. That would explain things. He's kind of possessive about anything anyone gives him. I don't know why. Well, let's get going before Erochimaru--I mean Orochimaru-- finds us. Don't worry about Kankurou. He'll pass out afterwards, but I'll get Shika to get him." I looked at the communicator, the blinking green light signaling it was working. "Ya hear that, you lazy bastard?" He didn't reply but I didn't doubt that he heard me. Even if he didn't I would trust Kankurou to bust his own ass out of there.

Tenten clung to me tightly and calmed herself while I observed the scene below us. But as I did, my ears perked up to the sound of footsteps behind us. I tightened my hold on Tenten. "My, how sweet," said a female voice above me. It took me a minute to recognise it but I did, no doubt. I gently withdrew from Tenten's grasp and got up to face her. Tayuya looked at me with a smug grin on her face, three other men, if you can call them that, behind her. And it certainly doesn't take a Shikamaru to figure this one out. The first guy had four extra arms and a tanned, but psychotic, face. Next to him was an abnormally large man with an orange cone of hair. The last one was a pretty-boy I suppose, if not for the second head behind him and his green lipstick. I figured they were all victims of Orochimaru's experiments. Tayuya herself was much less scary, of course. But something was definitely off about her as she stood with a flute in her hand.

"I suppose I should apologise on behalf of our men down there," she said, gesturing with a flick of her chin. "They can be quite difficult to handle sometimes, even for us. But Kankurou is doing a fine job of keeping them at bay. Heh, he was such a sweet guy. It makes me kind of guilty that I toyed with him for this long. Kind of. But don't worry; we're not here for him. As a matter of fact, we're here for you. Oh, and your precious girlfriend behind you, of course. So how about you two just give yourselves up so we can spare any unnecessary injuries?"

"Like hell I would," I replied, trying to stay cool but look threatening at the same time. I wonder if Kankurou knew. He never really talked about her and I've only seen her a few times. There's really no way I would've known she was a spy. Figures they planned everything out like this. We had revealed a small part of what we were going to do while she was over at Gaara's with Kankurou. I guess whatever it was we revealed, gave them access to much more vital things. Now what was it that we gave out… oh, our _plan_ maybe?

"Kidoumaru." The six-armed man stepped forward and produced a web-like net, seemingly out of nowhere. I managed to slice a part of it, narrowly dodging it. I didn't notice it had frayed the edge of my fan. I gritted my teeth and tried to think of a way to escape. As the second man stepped forward, I grabbed Tenten's hand and ran. I knew outrunning them wouldn't be easy, but right now I'll take my chances. If I stayed and fought these clowns, I'd never be able to make it to Erochimaru. Even if I did, who knew how many body parts I'd have left to fight him?

I opened up my biggest fan and was ready to jump on and split. However, the biggest guy picked up the two-headed pretty boy and threw him across the rooftop. Tenten immediately threw a series of metal objects at him, but he forced himself towards the ground and used one hand to push himself back into the air, gracefully dodging the volley of weapons. Without warning, he held a gun to my head. I thought I'd be dead for sure as I stared down the barrel of the gun. I swung my fan with all strength as I watched his finger slide over the trigger. I hoped with all my strength I would be able to get past the aerodynamics of an iron fan and save myself. But someone grabbed me from behind and forced me down. I heard the mind-shattering blast of the gun above me. I widened my eyes and looked up just in time to see Tenten fly down like she did all those nights ago in the museum. The cape fluttered behind her. She landed with a kick in his face that sent him stumbling backwards. However, he recovered just enough to inflict a large gash at her side. Tenten staggered as she landed, clutching her wound.

A fiery burn erupted within me. I could feel the uncontrollable anger that's making my blood boil. With a roar, I ran with my weapon and charged at him. Caught off guard, he took the hit and slid across the building, blood soaking his clothes. He coughed as he tried to get up. But suddenly, a very strange melody enveloped me and distracted me from injuring him again. I couldn't move. I only watched as I watched the biggest man charge at me. Behind him was Tayuya, glimpsing at me sardonically as her fingers fluttered across her flute. I tried to tear my gaze away from her, but the music was so…alluring. I couldn't even close my eyes.

A loud cry pierced through the night air, abruptly putting me out of my trance. I spun around to see where it came from and immediately wished I had noticed it sooner. The big gorilla wasn't charging at me. No, he had been aiming for Tenten _behind_ me. Now he had her pinned down under what must be five hundred pounds of body mass. He looked up at me with a one-sided grin as he sat stretching his legs on top of a gasping Tenten. Her hat fell to about two metres away, shifting slightly under the breeze. Tenten looked up at me pleadingly. She rolled her eyes towards her right side but said nothing. I followed her gaze and looked down at her arms.

I was about to make a run for the hidden object hidden somewhere near her outstretched arm when the "Kidoumaru" character appeared in front of me with a twisted smile. "Where you goin'? You're not thinkin' of savin' your little princess now would you? Whatever you're pullin' here ain't gonna escape my spidey senses." I raised an eyebrow at him. You've gotta be kidding me… He continued waving his arm in circular motions. I wasn't sure whether I should laugh or cry at the situation. "I'm a black hole, baby! A fuck'n black hole! I'mma kick your ass inside and out." This dork has obviously watched too many cartoons in his lifetime.

I didn't have time to stand here and watch him do whatever the hell he's doing! But thinking back to his previous attack, I suddenly realised that I really had no chance of escaping until I kick his ass. But since time is an issue here, there is only one thing that comes to mind. The idea was reckless and I had to work fast, Tenten fast.

As Kidoumaru continued with his threats, if you can even call them that, I looked around desperately for some kind of opening, meanwhile trying to mentally simulate my so-called plan. He took a step towards me, immediately putting all my senses on full alert. Deep within my inner subconscious, I was very vaguely aware that he was still rambling. Before I knew it, I was running. I knew I was acting completely out of instinct but perhaps it's for the best.

I dove past the Kidoumaru at full speed. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him turn around with his arms outstretched. I reflexively threw my biggest iron fan in his direction. Just as I had planned and predicted, it got caught in his web-like net, granting me not only extra time but a priceless expression on his face. Unfortunately I was still running and didn't have the leisure to enjoy the moment. Tayuya's flute sounded again, but I paid no attention to it and kept running. I could feel my head begin to swim and panicked. Lucky for me, her melody ended abruptly with a loud crash from where she stood. I didn't turn around to look. With my heart pounding in my head, I reached Tenten and grabbed the dagger in her sleeve.

The big guy eyed me, but didn't move. He shifted his weight and sat cross-legged, causing Tenten to writhe in pain. He held up a pudgy palm. I ignored it and ran forward, about to swipe him with the dagger. He casually swept his arm and caught me in the stomach, knocking the wind out of me as I flew a few feet back. I struggled to recover while airborne, and managed to through the sharp weapon before I landed on my feet, wobbling as I tried to retain balance. My precision wasn't as good as Tenten's of course, but this big guy was a big hard to miss. I watched him try to pull the weapon out of his leg, but it must've been of some special design, because he was _really_ struggling. Of course, over all that flab, he had to bend and roll all over. He hovered over Tenten for half a second, but I immediately leapt forward and struck him across the side of his head a smaller fan. He didn't fly like he was supposed to, but he did fall over sideways and off of Tenten. I ran over and gave him a boot so he rolled around some more to drive the dagger deeper into his leg. I would've done it again if someone hadn't grabbed me from behind. My heart skipped a beat as I was taken above ground. But once I looked up, I smiled. Tenten looked down at me with her dust-streaked face, a triumphant grin on her lips. I would've kissed her senseless if I wasn't hanging twenty feet above the roof of a skyscraper.

I looked down from where I was hanging and was surprised to see Shikamaru waving at me from the roof, a tied up Kidoumaru at his feet. On top of him was a wriggling, handcuffed, and duct-taped Tayuya, her flute in the hand of Shikamaru. I watched him take the communicator to his face. Almost at once, the static crackled in my ear.

"Enjoying the view?" his voice said amusedly after the static settled down some.

"You never cease to amaze me, Nara Shikamaru."

"Heh, I got your fan here, but I'm afraid it's out of use for now."

"What? Why?"

"Y'know that web thing? It may look flimsy but it was actually a really tough type of mineral. Tougher than iron I should say. But not only that, it actually dissolves upon contact. Actually, I don't even know where he's spewing this stuff from. I really don't know what Orochimaru pulled to breed a freak like that, but you've gotta give him kudos for it. It's like the web's been welded on now. Just be thankful it wasn't you who's been welded to it. Unfortunately, I didn't get another one of these types. So if you don't wanna hang there, then I suggest you run. "

I cursed and took a deep breath to calm myself. "Well," Shika continued with a hint of slyness in his voice, "there is one thing…."

"Yeah?"

"You see these guys here? They've all got one of these little compact things. I doubt Spiderman and the Hulk here likes wearing make-up, can't say much for the other two though. But they've all got one."

"Oh!" Tenten said suddenly, flying back down. I looked at her quizzically as I landed. She smiled and picked up her board before running towards Shikamaru, hand clutched at her wound. I jogged up behind her and watched as she held up her board, folding it until it was no bigger than a CD and no thicker than a cell phone.

"Hey, yeah, that's it," Shikamaru said as he pulled one out of his jacket pocket. "How did you get it?"

"I stole one when I was escaping from Orochimaru. They had a lab where they tried to improve on these things. Only specific people got to use them though because they were a bit difficult to manoeuvre. I heard they tried to mass produce these things but the little bits and pieces it took to make them were too expensive and were hell to put together. He figured that since there's no safety guarantee on them, people might not want to take their chances anyway."

Shikamaru nodded as he listened, examining the compacts in his hand. "Well I'm gonna investigate deeper on these after I take these guys back to the station." I gave him a horrified look. "Don't worry, Tema! I'm still available anytime. I've got the keys to the police's chopper, so just say something and I'll be there. My communicator will be on." He handed me one of the disk-like things and carried Tayuya and Kidoumaru over to the injured guys.

I paid no more attention to him and examined the disk. I marvelled in amazement as I unfolded the mechanism, but stared wide-eyed to see there were no straps of any kind to hold my feet in place. "Well this is gonna be fun," I mumbled to Tenten. She laughed and reassured me it was easier than it looks. I placed the board on the ground and stood on it, looking at my feet stupidly as I waited for the take-off.

"You have to press the little button here," Tenten explained, indicating to a flat, circular design on the board. "That's the acceleration button so you've gotta keep your feet on it at all times. The speed you go at will depend on your stance and the pressure you place on the button. If you just stand on it, it'll keep taking you upwards. But if you let go, you'll plummet down," she said excitedly with a grin. "Otherwise it's just like snowboarding, without the snow of course."

"I've never…"

"Its okay, me neither. But you'll get the hang of it."

After much struggling and swearing, I found myself hovering twenty feet above Tenten's head. I exhaled and squared my shoulders, proud at my achievement. I played around a bit in the air doing little half flips and turns. Tenten floated up and took my hand with a smile. "C'mon, he's gonna find us soon." With that, we flew around the city towards the dark horizon, not sure where we were going.

It was nice for a while, but I just had to remember not to look down. Of course I was used to flying but this board gave me a whole new cautiousness that didn't really bug me too much. And because it was so dependent on how you moved your body, it was really very tiring. But Tenten looked like she was enjoying herself. Naturally I was too. We didn't say much and just enjoyed the night breeze and the freedom we felt as we soared over the city. But of course, once again, our pleasure was short-lived.

Beside me, I heard Tenten gasp when she turned around. I looked at her quizzically and followed her gaze. I saw nothing at first, but I panicked a second later. I indicated to a large flat expanse of green to Tenten. She nodded and we flew down at full velocity. Behind us, the black silhouette emerged from behind a pointed skyscraper. Landing was shaky and awkward, but I only stumbled a few steps before I regained my balance. Once I did, I pulled Tenten behind me and took out my two bladed fans. Tenten frowned but didn't resist. I could hear my heart pound in my head as Orochimaru's ugly pale face came into view, the shining moonlight doing no justice at all.

"Well, well, well. You're still alive," he said with a slight lisp. I glowered at him. "After what you've done to my adorable minions, you really shouldn't be the one giving the evil looks, Ms. Tempest. But it doesn't matter. I've had my fun with them anyway. Since there's an opening for the job now, wouldn't you like to join me? Think about it, you can do anything you want after I'm through with you."

"How about fuck you and no?"

His face twisted into a wicked grin that showed his sharp canines. "Are you sure? A girl of your calibre really shouldn't be running around with a mutt like her. She'd just slow you down anyway. Imagine all the great things you could be doing now. And instead you'd rather be here, just waiting for death to be served to you on a silver platter. And I really do hate working up a sweat. But this time I suppose I'll help you out since you want to die so badly."

"How kind of you, Erochimaru," I said sarcastically with a roll of my eyes. But much to my delight, he flinched visibly at the nickname. "But if you think it's gonna be that easy, you're very gravely mistaken." I kicked up the dust and charged towards him with my fan raised in preparation for a full-blown attack. But completely forgetting the fact that he was something of a superhuman, I found myself swiping only the air. My eyes widened as I felt his foul breath by my ear. I spun around to face him but was too slow once again. He caught me by the arm and spun me around. And before I could steady my footing, his arm flew forward. I howled in pain a sharp fingernail penetrated through my left pupil. I keeled over and clutched the bleeding wound. The excruciating pain prevented me from opening my eyes. I heard Orochimaru's disgusting laugh above me and a sudden gasp from behind me.

"Well, well, game over already? Tsk, tsk, I expected more from you."

I chuckled as I straightened up. "Game over? The game hasn't even begun. Don't think this handicap will decide victory." I opened my eyes, ignoring the pain, and looked up in the eye, knowing full well how grotesque I must look right now with the river of crimson running down my cheek. He dashed towards me at lightning speed. I thrusted a blade forward, fully expecting it to miss. He appeared behind me and again I turned around. But as I caught a glimpse of his arm reaching for mine, I spun a full three-sixty, the impact of the wind knocking him a few feet away. He landed with the grace of a feline and was unhurt, of course, but surprised.

I looked over at Tenten, who had climbed up to the lamp-post while I was distracting Orochimaru. She nodded with an uneasy smile. We had talked about this in the alley and were prepared to launch a very risky attack. The chances of this plan succeeding aren't too high either, but it's worth a shot. Tenten wasn't too happy with the idea, but I was willing to put my life on the line. And if she wasn't going to co-operate, there are even more drastic things I can do.

While he took a second to regain his composure, I started my spinning. I closed my eyes and spun as fast as I could, the pain of my eye entirely forgotten. Since my vision was blurry anyway, this would be the best time to launch an attack like this. I held up my arms spread-eagle and felt the sudden extra strength I needed to pilot myself with my fans. My ears were filled with only the sound of the rushing winds, and I felt as if my body spun at its own accord. Right now, I knew no fatigue or any type of vulnerability.

As the wind picked up, I suddenly felt a sharp slash on my arm. It's finally begun. I braced myself as a barrage of sharp objects sliced through my skin. I could feel my hair dancing around my face, as if trying to avoid the weapons themselves.

The volley was endless, the pain blinding. But hell, I was blind already so what did it matter? I could only bite my lip and keep spinning for the sake of my love. Twirling until I was trapped inside my own cyclone, I wondered if this plan was effective at all. But it had to be, albeit it was a matter of just how much. We were both familiar of his teleportation-like speed that exceeded even Tenten's. That was why I thought this up as I reminisced of our own rooftop battle all those nights ago. Tenten threw her weapons into my tornado, blindly aiming for my fan through the dust and dirt the wind picked up. As the objects floated around in my enclosed space, I carried them around until my fan collided with the metal, shooting it back out in whichever direction I could manage.

It seemed like hours before the gusts died down. I collapsed on my knees, my breath coming short and ragged. My body felt sticky with blood and sweat, the pain of the inflictions coming to me at once. I looked up at the blurry figure about three metres away from me. He stood tall and no doubt had an arrogant look on his face.

"H-heh, don't underestimate me. Though I'm much, much older than you, my speed and stamina is superior. With age comes experience. Just face it, you can't win," his rough voice said sounding slightly strangled. His figure lunged towards me with the moonlight glinting off what I assumed was his katana. I struggled to my feet and held up a fan in a futile attempt to block his attack. He didn't even bother with any little tricks and struck me in the stomach with the hilt of his sword at maximum power. I choked as the impact threw me across the grass. I tried to get up again, but only managed to stain the grass even more. I could feel my strength drain away until I could barely move my fingertips.

One more hit and I was as good as gone. But…I can't die yet. It's much too soon. Tenten… Knowing what they'll do to her once she's caught. I'll never, never be able to rest in peace. Just a little nap… and I'll be as good as new… Orochimaru… you bastard… you're gonna die… I promise… Just… give me… five minutes… and I'll be… good…

* * *

A/N: Sorry, guys end of the line here! I bet most of you thought this was gonna be the end of the fic, eh? Well I'm probably gonna take a break from series and maybe do a few one-shots here and there. Maybe. I'm almost caught up to One Piece. So if anyone cares, there just might be something to look forward to. SO ANYWAY! READ AND REVIEW! Please...


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